Will Your Doctor Be a Robot in 2030?

We’ve all heard of laparoscopic surgery. It’s a revolution in the operating room that saves time and resources. More importantly, it reduces recovery time, minimizes scars, and in many cases turns what used to be an inpatient ordeal into a simple office visit.

So it’s a little surprising that the world hasn’t yet embraced the idea of “robot” doctors. With scary headlines like these:

• Prepare Yourselves, Robots Will Soon Replace Doctors in Healthcare (Forbes, 2017)
• Robots in Health Care Could Lead to a Doctor-less Hospital (The Conversation, 2016)

It’s no wonder people are having a hard time warming up to the idea. But do they know what they’re actually rejecting? What are we really talking about...