This Day, That Year

Item from Nov 20, 1987, in China Daily: Surgeons at a hospital remove kidney stones from a patient with a machine that transmits shock waves through water to break up the stones without an operation. The machine is the first one in China.

In the last few years, robot technology has improved many lives. In the healthcare industry, robotics has changed medical treatments. From radiation treatment of organs to eye surgery, rehabilitation to blood pressure testing, medical robots are transforming the face of healthcare. A doctorless hospital may be possible one day.

Early this month, a robot designed in China passed the national medical licensing examination, an essential entrance exam for doctors. Passing the exam means the machine can analyze patient information and make an initial diagnosis to help doctors improve efficiency, according to its developer, iFlytek, in Hefei, Anhui province.