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.