Well, we all know the answer to that, right? Of course they already are. In fact, they really are already here and working every day. Robots have always captured the human imagination and/or fueled the nightmares of many. But, humans have been using robots to do work since ancient times.The International Federation of Robots (IFR) organizes robots into two main categories, industrial and service. Industrial robots are "automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes." Automobile production lines are a good example of industrial robots.

Service robots are defined as "autonomous machines that complete tasks outside industrial applications". Some examples of these are robots in operating rooms, the robot vacuum cleaner in your home, robots exploring the ocean floor and many more.

In medicine and healthcare there are already many robotics being used. Roving machines with mounted I-pads so that the physician can interact via tele-presence and drones for delivery of emergency or medical equipment are just a couple of examples. Other robotic and therapeutic robotic devices are being used to increase patient's capability to rehabilitate. There are also industrial robots used to sterilize patient rooms or deliver supplies.

There are many opportunities in which robots and robotics can be applied in the healthcare industry to provide better patient health care. This field is booming and there is so much growth anticipated in the next decade and beyond. Click here if you would like to read a great article by the Mayo Clinic's Center for Innovation all about robots.

Mary Crawford, HealthCare Employment Network