Hello LV Robotics!

Our next LV Robotics events is focused on Healthcare and the changing role of providers and care givers.  With medicine becoming digital, why not make doctors and nurses digital? And what about care regimens and therapy programs? The list goes on. Vinod Khosla, a legendary Silicon Valley investor, argues that **robots will replace doctors by 2035**. And there is some evidence that he may be right.

A [2017 study](http://news.mit.edu/2017/artificial-intelligence-early-breast-cancer-detection-1017) out of the Massachusetts General Hospital and MIT showed that an artificial intelligence (AI) system was equal or better than radiologists at reading mammograms for high risk cancer lesions needing surgery. A year earlier, and [reported by](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2588763) the Journal of the American Medical Association, Google showed that computers are similar to ophthalmologists at examining retinal images of diabetics.

The data we are using to train our AI models could lead to results that perpetuate—and even exacerbate—rather than remedy these stubborn disparities. The machines do not and cannot verify the accuracy of the underlying data they are given. Rather, they assume the data are perfectly accurate, reflect high quality, and are representative of optimal care and outcomes.

So, there is a lot at stake in the healthcare industry and we’re going to discuss how robots and AI can solve many of the problems without indulging bad behaviors and removing layers of HMO bureaucracy that everyone hates, and consequently adds to the overall cost of healthcare.

We will feature a few robot startups focused on this topic including Cartwheel Robotics that was recently invited by the Mayo Clinic to use their humanoid robots as assistive care givers.

Don’t worry, we won’t check your pulse at the door.

Walter Greenleaf

Walter is the Co-founder and Board Chair for the International Virtual Reality Health Association (IVRHA). He helped establish the California State University Center for Disability Solutions and the International Society of Virtual Rehabilitation (ISVR). He serves as the Co-Organizer for three yearly conferences: The VR and Behavioral Healthcare Symposium, the Annual Virtual Reality and Healthcare Symposium, and the European Virtual Reality and Healthcare Symposium.

Paul Oh

Paul Oh is the Lincy Professor of Unmanned Aerial Systems in the mechanical engineering department for the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering at UNLV. From 2000 to 2014, Paul served as a mechanical engineering professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia and founded the Drexel Autonomous Systems Laboratory (DASL).

Oh is the former program director for robotics at the National Science Foundation where he managed a portfolio that supported almost all robotics research in American universities. He has worked for Boeing, the Office of Naval Research and the NASA Caltech/Jet Propulsion Lab.

Scott LaValley

Scott LaValley is the creator of Boston Dynamic’s Atlas and Spot robots and Disney’s Groot robot. Scott has dedicated his life to building humanoid robots and is the visionary behind Cartwheel Robotics, a company redefining the future of robotics with groundbreaking innovations. With over 4 humanoid systems brought to life during his career, Scott’s expertise in robotics is unparalleled. From concept to creation, his work has consistently pushed the boundaries of what’s possible. He is one of the top humanoid robot developers in the world.