MEDICAL ROBOTS: FINAL VERSION 351
Medical Robots: From Science Fiction to Science Fact
Final Version
1 Maureen Schrader lay on the operating table at Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Living-
ston, New Jersey. Four mechanical arms moved with precision over her abdomen. In one arm was
a high–definition camera. The other three contained small surgical instruments that made a five–
centimeter incision just below her ribcage. It was a tiny opening, but it was big enough to put a
new kidney into Maureen’s body.
2 At no point during the surgery did the surgeon actually touch Maureen. In fact, he sat sev-
eral feet away peering into a monitor and holding what looked like video game controls. But the
work of his hands was digitally recorded and sent to the robotic arms, which mimicked his every
movement. The robot became an extension of the surgeon, and together they transplanted the kid-
ney.
4 Orderly robots help hospital staff accomplish routine tasks. Their primary function is to
transport medicine, food, and lab supplies—and to do so without a human by their side. Here is one
of the most popular orderly robots—the TUG, or tug robot—which, according to its manufacturer,
can be found in more than 100 hospitals in the United States alone.
5 A September 2010 story in Discovery News explains how the robot works. Relying on a
digital map of the hospital, the robot moves from room to room picking up and dropping off sup-
plies. It senses people and obstacles by what are called “light whiskers”—invisible beams of sonar,
infrared, and laser. These light whiskers are represented by the colored lines you see in this draw-
ing. They constantly scan the environment to avoid collisions.
6 TUG robots can also communicate with one another about the most efficient route to a lo-
cation given current hallway conditions. They are highly efficient and make fewer delivery errors
than people. Mark Weigel, director of food services at Bethesda Memorial Hospital in Maryland,
notes that the TUG robot “never argues with patients, takes no breaks, is always polite and always
on time.”
352 INFORMATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
7 But orderly robots are not the only robots transforming modern medicine. Remote-presence
robots allow a doctor to visit with a patient even when the doctor is not in the same room. “Remote
presence” means that the doctor can be present with the patient even when the doctor is in a remote
location.
8 Imagine you’re sitting in a hospital room when in comes this—the RP-7. A 2009 story in
U.S. News & World Report explains that physicians can pilot these robots from a laptop located
anywhere in the hospital or in the world. A screen, camera, microphone, and speaker system—like
the ones you see in this photograph—allow the doctor to interview the patient. Hospital staff can
even attach medical devices such as electronic stethoscopes to the robot so the doctor can review a
patient’s vital signs.
9 According to a 2010 article in Hospital Management, the RP-7 is used in more than 250
U.S. hospitals and has performed more than 100,000 clinic sessions. They are particularly useful in
hospitals with a high patient-to-doctor ratio.
10 In addition to orderly robots and remote-presence robots, a third kind of robot is transform-
ing modern medicine. Surgical robots, like the kind I mentioned at the start of my speech, are in-
creasingly being used in operating rooms around the world. Most popular is the one you see here—
the da Vinci. According to a 2010 article in the Miami Herald, there are more than 1,400 da Vinci
robots in hospitals worldwide, and they’re used in more than 200,000 operations every year.
11 How does da Vinci work? Intuitive Surgical, maker of da Vinci, explains that the surgeon
MEDICAL ROBOTS: FINAL VERSION 353
Medical Robots: From Science Fiction to Science Fact
Final Version
Commentary
“Medical Robots” provides an excellent example of how to apply the guidelines of informative speak-
ing discussed in Chapter 15. A video of the speech is available online and on the DVD of student
speeches that accompanies this edition of The Art of Public Speaking. As students will see, the speak-
er takes what could be a dry, technical topic and makes it interesting. Students will also see how the
speaker uses well–chosen supporting materials and visual aids to develop his ideas.
When discussing this speech, you may also want to show students the needs improvement ver-
sion, which is printed (with commentary) on pages 346–350 of this manual and is available on the DVD
that accompanies the textbook. Begin with a class discussion on the needs improvement version. Then
show the final version and conclude with a discussion that compares the two versions and explores
why the final version is superior.
Below is a synopsis of the final version.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about three kinds of robots commonly used in modern medi-
cine.
Central Idea: Three kinds of robots commonly used in modern medicine are orderly robots, remote–
presence robots, and surgical robots.
Method of Organization: Topical
Introduction: The introduction consists of paragraphs 1–3. In paragraph 1, the speaker gains attention
with a richly detailed extended example. Both the clarity and delivery of the example help draw
listeners into the speech. As the speaker continues his opening example in paragraph 2, he re-
veals that the mechanical arms mentioned in the first paragraph are actually robotic arms con-
trolled by a surgeon.
354 INFORMATIVE SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Students watching the speech should pay particular attention to the speaker’s creative vis-
ual aids in paragraph 5. Because the “light whiskers” on a TUG robot are invisible, the speaker
makes them visible for his audience. On his PowerPoint slide, colored lines representing the
light whiskers appear on screen in perfect coordination with the speaker’s words. This is a fine
example of how creativity can help bring an informative speech to life.
Paragraph 7 begins with a transition to the second main point, which deals with remote–
presence robots. The speaker’s definition of these robots in in paragraph 7 helps ensure that his
discussion is not too technical and does not overestimate what the audience knows. In para-
graphs 8–9, the speaker focuses on a specific remote–presence robot, the RP–7, which he illus-
trates with photographs embedded in his PowerPoint presentation. The word “imagine” at the
beginning of paragraph 8 helps draw listeners further into the speech and relates the discussion
directly to them. To strengthen the impact of his supporting materials, the speaker identifies his
sources. In paragraph 9, he rounds off his statistics so the audience can grasp them more easily.