Get Ready for 3D-Printed Organs and a Knife That ‘Smells’ Tumors

To doctors and nurses working 75 years ago, when the UK’s National Health Service was founded, a modern ward would be completely unrecognizable. Fast-forward into the future, and hospitals are likely to look very different again. These are some of the changes you’re likely to see in years to come.

Fully autonomous surgical robots

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are developing a surgical robot capable of performing surgeries fully autonomously. The robot is equipped with 3D vision and a machine learning algorithm that allows it to plan and adapt during a surgery. Last year, the robot—called Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot—performed a laparoscopic procedure on porcine-tissue models by successfully suturing the ends of a pig intestine.

Smart toilets to monitor and detect disease

In March 2023, smart home company Withings announced the U-Scan, a 90-mm pebble-shaped urinalysis device that can be attached to a toilet bowl, from where it monitors biomarkers in urine such as ketone and vitamin C levels. The device, which lasts three months between charges, can also track…