ABSTRACT
As technology gets better and better by the decade, so does medicine. But when the two fields are combined in the form of robotic surgery, a steaming pile of problems is found in law, ethics, and trust. Has technology grown too big? Will ignorance prevent humanity from progress? The answer varies greatly. But the true problem stems from the inherent risk of science: uncertainty. Because of the uncertainty that robots are more capable than humans as surgeons require testing, but testing in surgery means people will die. And there is nothing more valuable than human life.
BIOGRAPHY
My name is Charlie McKee. I have been a proud member of the Wakefield Fighting Owl Community since the fifth grade. I am attending Virginia Tech in the fall of 2020 where I plan on studying Nanomedicine and maybe Biotechnology.
Like many of us, I have had a hard time finding what truly makes me happy. What I found is that I am the happiest when I am helping others. This passion is what led me to my interest in medicine and a dream of being a surgeon. I choose to study robotic surgery for my senior thesis because, to me, surgery is the ultimate form of helping others. The robotic component comes from my fascination with technological innovation, engineering, and the future. My hope is that I will be able to explore this interest of mine and either falls more in love with surgery and medicine or realize that the field is not for me and allow me to explore other interests.
