Bits are now beginning to transform hospital design as profoundly as bacteria once did … stethoscopes, otoscopes, endoscopes, electrocardiography devices, and medical imaging machines can all now be used in remote examinations. As homes get network connections, domestic diagnostic and monitoring devices will begin to allow virtual house calls; when your baby has an earache, you might connect to a virtual clinic and put the otoscope in the baby’s ear to let the practitioner on duty take a look. It’s not as good as a real visit, perhaps, but it’s a lot better than a telephone call. By combining electronic viewing and diagnostic devices with appropriate telemanipulators, medical practitioners can begin to make themselves telepresent.
Predictor: Mitchell, William J.
Prediction, in context:In his 1994 book “City of Bits,” MIT computer scientist William J. Mitchell writes:”With the development of advanced telecommunications, bits are now beginning to transform hospital design as profoundly as bacteria once did. Telemedicine is emerging. It brings advanced medical care to widely scattered populations and makes old-style assemblies of patients around specialized medical facilities less necessary … The simplest and most obvious form of telemedicine is a straightforward teleconferencing … But video is only the first step … stethoscopes, otoscopes, endoscopes, electrocardiography devices, and medical imaging machines can all now be used in remote examinations. As homes get network connections, domestic diagnostic and monitoring devices will begin to allow virtual house calls; when your baby has an earache, you might connect to a virtual clinic and put the otoscope in the baby’s ear to let the practitioner on duty take a look. It’s not as good as a real visit, perhaps, but it’s a lot better than a telephone call. By combining electronic viewing and diagnostic devices with appropriate telemanipulators, medical practitioners can begin to make themselves telepresent … With fancier teleoperators, head-mounted stereo displays, and sufficiently precise tactile feedback devices, telesurgery becomes a serious possibility.”
Biography:William J. Mitchell was a professor and dean of architecture at MIT and the author of the predictive book “City of Bits: Space, Place and the Infobahn” (1994). He also taught at Harvard, Yale, Carnegie-Mellon and Cambridge Universities. (Research Scientist/Illuminator.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Getting, Sharing Information
Subtopic: Medical/Professional
Name of publication: City of Bits
Title, headline, chapter name: Chapter 4: Recombinant Architecture
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-books/City_of_Bits/index.html
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney