Robot makes rounds when doctor can't get to bedside in Baltimore hospital

BALTIMORE (AP) "Bari's" bedside manner may be cold and sterile, but the robot is proving an asset to at least one doctor.

The 150-thousand-dollar robodoc buzzes around the halls of Baltimore's Sinai Hospital.

The videoconferencing bot allows a weight loss surgeon to check in on his patients while he's thousands of miles away. The robot is equipped with a camera, a screen and a microphone. That allows patients to talk to and see the doctor's face when he's not in the hospital.

The bot earned its nickname because the doctor who controls "Bari" performs bariatric weight-loss surgeries.

"Bari" isn't the only of its kind. About 120 of the robots are in use in hospitals worldwide.

% | save this article / add to your favorites list