week4 Medical technology and Art

Applications of Art in Medical Technology

Medical Technology, Like Engineering, is an application of science the involves the creation of new, diverse products. One needs a creative artistic mindset in order to produce an innovative product.

One such example is the Da Vinci Surgical System. Created in the early 2000s, this device allows  medical professionals to conduct surgical operations with computer commands. The  design team had to face two great challenges, both of which were overcame through artistic applications. The first challenge were the robotic arms. With time and careful design, the shapes of each robotic arm of the Da vinci System came to fruition. Consequently, to control the arms, the visual interface of the computer which controlled such a complicated piece of equipment required artwork in the form of representing the robotic arms on the computer screen in a visually pleasing manner. Thus, although it is not easily apparent, the application of art was crucial in the production the Da Vinci Surgical System.

The creation of an MRI  offers clear information of a patient's brain activity, yet requires ample air flow within its chambers, a puzzling problem to overcome. Thus, when one examines MRI's today, it is very common to observe panels created around the disk like machine which allow for sizable air flow. The idea behind these panels serve as an example of how, creative thought is crucial to the creation of medical devices.

In more recent news, the development of artificial lungs are in the process of creation. Though many designs exist today, One of the more promising ventures, is the design by MC3 in which a new transplant-able lung  has pores for oxygen and C02 to leave more easily without creating unnecessary pressure. The concept of pores allowing for increased capacity is an artistically scientific idea that could potentially offer a promising future for people in need.

Works Cited
"Da Vinci® Xi™ Surgical System." Core77. Intuitive Surgical. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

MRI Air Handling Distribution: 1-4. Web. 24 Apr. 2016. <http://www2.mdanderson.org/depts/cpm/standards/Guides/D304105-M.pdf>. Article created by The University of Texas

"The Magic Lung That Can Breathe New Life." Mail Online. Associated Newspapers. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Weisenberg, Elizabeth. "A Practical Guide For Designing Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suites." ALN. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

"Da Vinci® Surgical System." Robot-Assisted Surgery: Da Vinci. Brown University. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.

Week 3

Week 3 Blog;

Robotics and Art

Among many other areas of discipline, Robotics is often intertwined with the science and use of Art. Since the begging of the age of Industrialization, society has engineered imaginative methods of producing machines, or the pre stages of robotics, in artistic methods in order to gain useful tools for production. One important example of a pre robotic machine was the advent of the wireless torpedo controlled by radio technology in the 1870s. Built by the renowned Nikola Tesla, this was the first robotic machine that was created with symmetrically appealing designs.

One example of such a product is the "Robo Famer" created by designer  Matthais Dorfelt. The robot is a dome shaped device that is programmed to draw artistically desirable objects based on algorithms in its programming. Not only did their exist originality and artistic quality in the design of its simple dome shaped top, but also within the programming of its method of sketching. 

In relation the Walter Benjamin's argument regarding art and the loss of uniqueness of tradition behind art. There is truth especially when applying it to the advent of new robotic devices. robots like the  Robo Famer have the potential to make sketching basic graphic designs all but obsolete. However,  it is also important to note that, while old traditions and artworks become stale and uninteresting, There will exist new forms of displaying art such as the design of the machines themselves or the code behind commands of the robots we use today and in the future. 


Works Cited:

Whitaker, Amy. "Coding Is An Art--Software People Should Learn "Art Thinking"." Fast Company. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Turi, Jon. "Tesla's Toy Boat: A Drone before Its Time." Engagdge. Web.

Stay, Mark. "The Robots in Your Head: Stunning Concept Art for Robot Overlords." British Film Institute. BFI. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Lim, Angelica. "What Roboticists Can Learn From Art, and What Artists Can Learn From Robots." - IEEE Spectrum. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Brooks, Katherine. "If The Future Of Art Is Robotics, At Least It Will Be Adorable." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.