Thousands of people are given new joints each year in the UK. But can robots and smart tech soon make it a smoother procedure?
Ian Doncaster is remarkably chipper for a man about to undergo major surgery. “I have a busy life. So it’s nice to have a break,” he jokes. It is 8.30am on a chilly December morning and here at Warwick hospital he is about to receive a new knee – or part of one.
At 62, Doncaster has always been active: he played rugby when young, until a knee injury and subsequent operation meant he had to trade that in for a host of other sports. But now the knee is causing problems again. As a self-employed chartered engineer, he needs to be able to get up and down tower blocks. Even going hiking with his wife seems a wistful dream. “Going forward, it’s only going to get worse,” he says.
About Author
More Stories
Microsoft unveils chip it says could bring quantum computing within years
Virologist Wendy Barclay: ‘Wild avian viruses are mixing up their genetics all the time. It’s like viral sex on steroids’
Revealed: the scammers who conned savers out of $35m using fake celebrity ads