Robotics could soon play a wider role in healthcare, extending beyond surgical procedures to diagnostics, treatment, therapy and remote medical care, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh said.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the International Conference of the Society of Robotic Surgery, Singh said the convergence of robotics, artificial intelligence and nanoscience could support the development of precision medicine and more personalised healthcare.
He said robotics should be viewed as a broader medical technology rather than one limited to operating rooms. Future applications could emerge in areas such as cardiology and endocrinology, similar to the way AI is increasingly being used across medical specialties.
Singh also highlighted the role of precision medicine, where treatment decisions could increasingly be guided by a patient’s genetic profile, lifestyle, environment and dietary patterns. Referring to the Genome India Programme, he said 10,000 individuals had already been sequenced and suggested that India could eventually work towards genetic sequencing for newborns.
The minister also discussed nanomedicine and its potential applications in drug delivery, including research into oral insulin.
Another area highlighted was tele-robotics, which could help extend specialist medical expertise to patients in remote locations. Singh cited a robotic ultrasonography demonstration involving a person in Antarctica as an example of how remotely enabled technologies could overcome geographical barriers.
He said such systems could eventually reduce the need for patients to travel to specialists by enabling specialist expertise to reach patients remotely.
Singh added that India’s changing disease burden, with infectious diseases coexisting with metabolic and lifestyle-related conditions, makes technologies such as AI, robotics and tele-robotics increasingly relevant to healthcare delivery.