Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007 - (Page 20)

profile: yulun wang introducing doctor robot Santa Barbara’s Yulun Wang breaks the mold of the techno nerd, pioneering medicine’s next frontier—between surf sessions and tennis matches. By Matt Kettmann Photos by Travis McCormick T hIRTY YEARS Ago, when Star Wars captured America’s attention and a fully computerized future seemed imminent, the promise of robots becoming part of our everyday life was at its peak. Everyone wanted their own C-3PO or R2-D2, and thanks to the technological strides being made in Silicon Valley and beyond, it all seemed possible. But here we are in the 21st century, and that sci-fi world has yet to materialize—the best robots on the market aren’t much more than simple toys or vacuums that still need a human’s help to properly function. There is one place, however, where robots do indeed serve a crucial daily purpose: the field of medicine, where automated, humanoid machines are increasingly playing supporting roles by performing precise surgeries, delivering much needed supplies, or serving as de facto doctors to needy patients, enabling the real healthcare professionals to be in multiple places at once. And no one human is more responsible for this robotic rise than Yulun Wang, a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) who’s been inventing, developing, and distributing medically inclined bots since the early 1990s. It’s bizarre that Wang isn’t already a pop culture icon. He became famous in the worlds of medicine and robotics when his company Computer Motion invented “Aesop,” the first surgical robot to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Then in 2001, Wang directed the first transatlantic surgery, as doctors in New York City operated on a man in France, a media event that attracted a large amount of international attention. And these days, Wang’s company InTouch Health is the world’s only maker of R2-D2-like robots, powered remotely by doctors in their home offices to wander the hospital halls, consult with patients, and even release them. Yet none of these historic strides have managed to turn Yulun (which rhymes with “droolin’”) into a household name. That’s probably because he’s a humble guy who enjoys living the Santa Barbara lifestyle rather than hyping himself. He happily gives credit to his colleagues, and despite his rather impressive techno-laurels, Wang is no nerd. He talks like your typical beach- 20 Broughton Quarterly Winter 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007

Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007 Contents Contributors Plugged In Notes Calendar 1000Words Destination Wine & Cuisine Introducing Doctor Robot In the Desert Stillness Richard Branson Marketplace Spotlight

Broughton Quarterly - Winter 2007

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