This article considers a modern approach to a qualitatively new education of medical specialties, taking into account the latest advances in computer technology, particularly in the field of robotics. The MEdOps concept represents a synergy of medical education with information technologies that are already successfully used in the fields of computer science. Special attention is paid to the emergence of such a new computer profession as DevOps. This is a universal specialist who ideally possesses a huge number of different technologies and platforms, a direct analogue of a modern highly qualified medical specialist, who must constantly improve his/her qualifications for effective work. One of the main focuses of the proposed approach is also the introduction of advances in robotics i.e. robots with remote human presence or telepresence in the process of education.
Many years of experience in the creation and practical operation of educational systems of the elearning class including gamification approaches, on the one hand, and development and training in the field of robotic systems, on the other hand, allow us to form visions and ways of solving modern problems in the educational field.
Special attention should be also paid to the emergence of a number of new professions in IT that consolidate existing technologies and computer platforms, for example in the form of DevOps.
DevOps is "a set of practices designed to reduce the time between making system changes and
making changes to regular production while ensuring high quality" [
Robotics in the educational process. Modernity poses a number of challenges to the educational
process, especially for university education [
Rehabilitation and Medical Robots. An example of the use of robotics in medicine can be a robot
assistant for taking care of the disabled and the elderly. For example, Hayley Robinson, Bruce
MacDonald, and Elizabeth Broadben [
Another example of the use of robotics in medicine is a rehabilitation robot from the University of
Texas that helps people move their hands and is an example of a robotic system successfully
implemented in the health care system. Such a robot should help people after a stroke or with
neurological disorders in restoring the functioning of both hands and fingers [
The proposed MEdOps concept is based on the following main technologies and platforms.
1. Triple learning, first proposed in [
Let's consider all three parts mentioned above. The authors already described the concept of Tripled Learning earlier. Existing open software can be used to build the software and hardware robotics parts, taking into account a new approach to education, in particular in medicine. The term MEdOps, proposed for the first time, means the unification of both medical education and learning management systems (LMS/ILMS) with an emphasis on DevOps, namely the use of existing and tested software in new configurations with the result of obtaining new products and improving the quality of education. 4.1.
The modern educational process has various implementations. Often, along with traditional classical
methods such as lectures, seminars and laboratory classes, there is training in an online format using
gamification approaches [
Blended learning and other types of modern education, such as the concept of lifelong learning, require effective infrastructure support. This means the use of cloud technologies with microservice architecture and load balancing and distribution, web applications and robotics solutions together with artificial intelligence to improve functionality, increase efficiency and obtain qualitatively new opportunities.
A new type of learning described for the first time in [
1. Traditional education including lectures, individual, practical and laboratory work 2. Independent, mostly online study of selected MOOCs offered by the teacher in accordance with the course topic 3. Team or individual work on creating one’s own project with public defences during and at the end of the course
It should be noted that the Tripled Learning does not depend on the physical presence of students in the classroom and can be conducted both online and offline or in a mixed form.
Since the first publication [
We can say that triple education is successfully integrated into the reality of the educational process at the University.
4.2.
In the learning process of a mixed approach to education, one can use various electronic learning
systems, mainly the learning management system (LMS). It should be noted that a special class of LMS,
namely intelligent educational systems (ILMS), can be created both on the basis of existing e-learning
systems and in a new format of personalized smart e-learning. For example, the article [
A typical intelligent educational system for e-learning has separate components, namely a teacher module, a student module, a knowledge module, as well as an interface related to them, mainly in the form of a web application.
As part of the teacher's module, certain important parts should be distinguished, such as diagnostic blocks, subsystems of competence, including a part for examination review and various modules with questions, tests, etc.
In the student module, a separate subsystem monitors the current level of the student's condition. Moreover, due to the built-in artificial intelligence, it becomes possible to conduct personalized training with an individual learning roadmap. Thus, it is possible to adapt the educational process in accordance with individual characteristics and the success of mastering the educational material.
The next very important part is the knowledge module, which contains learning objects as part of the learning content, as well as test questions for exams, a competency measurement system, and other necessary components.
The overall management of the system takes place due to a web-oriented user interface that allows students and tutors to display educational content, configure and adapt it according to a personal training plan (roadmap), as well as additional features available to support staff, managers and administrators.
The blended learning format with the use of telepresence robots allows monitoring of exam performance and academic integrity. The high quality of assessment can be ensured by additional questions from the expanded test database.
Blended learning received a new lease of life due to the forced limitations of the pandemic and showed the prospects of effective learning precisely in its mixed format, when part of the students are present in the classroom, while others study remotely thanks to telepresence robots. At the same time, the quality of education does not decrease.
In the proposed approach, in addition to telepresence robots, there are also other types of robots such as manipulator robots and transport robots. All of them work synchronously and interact in a common learning environment with software built on the ROS, and thanks to the support of multi-interaction, they do not interfere with each other.
This allows you to conduct effective blended learning and adapt to different subject areas, both, for example, in the field of information technology and, in this case, in the field of training future doctors.
Due to manipulator robots that are controlled remotely, it is possible to conduct various types of laboratory work with models of biological objects or educational medical simulations in accordance with the specifics of the educational process. At the same time, the safety of staff and students is ensured.
Autonomous telepresence robots allow students from remote locations to approach the object of research, turn the camera in different directions and move around the lecture theatre within permissible limits without interfering with other participants of the educational process.
It should be noted that the perspective of virtual and augmented reality technologies for remote presence, robot control and more complete immersion in the educational process proves to be quite beneficial.
4.3.
Due to the use of the Robot Operating System (ROS) and a special framework for control and interaction within a fleet of robots, it became possible to simultaneously use multiple personalized telepresence robots, each being connected to a student at a remote location, and not interfering with each other. Moreover, other robotic platforms such as robots with manipulators or mobile platforms are also involved in the educational process if necessary.
Figure 1 shows the general architecture with the corresponding symbols: 1 - personal telepresence robots with two-way connection, each to its remote student, 2 - a robot with manipulators and computer vision and the possibility of autonomous operation under the control of ROS or direct or remote control,
3 - transport robotic platform for transportation of various types of cargo and assistance in the educational process.
The peculiarity of the proposed approach is the use of ROS as the main software platform for the various robotics presented in Fig. 1. Due to this and a special framework for the interaction of many robots, the simultaneous functioning of various robots and the performance of their respective tasks is possible. At the same time, both partial independence in behaviour and human control via a remote user interface are possible. An example of independent behaviour i.e. a transport robot in real time builds a map of the place where it is located and can bypass obstacles that suddenly appear on its path even with the corresponding command of the operator, in case an appropriate message is sent. Another example is when a robot tries to pick up an object, it first checks for its presence and then uses computer vision to detect the exact location to reduce or completely eliminate collisions or mechanical damage. The same applies to the telepresence robot, which has a certain independence when moving and takes into account the location of surrounding objects and other robots. Thanks to ROS and a specialized framework for the interaction of many robots, the possibility of their collisions or obstacles in cooperation is minimized.
It is worth mentioning that the approach proposed can also be successfully applied in the context of
gamification. The latter being the strategic motivation factor aimed at engaging participants by
incorporating game principles for creating game playing experiences in non-game contexts, in our case
learning process activities, enhances functionality and usability of tools and supports interaction among
team-members. A detailed concept implemented for team-oriented work by utilizing collaborative
effects of gamification from a practical perspective results in improved "overall team-productivity
within collaborative, communicative and cooperating environments" [
The proposed MEdOps approach makes it possible to predictably improve the quality of existing
learning process and to build new educational systems [
The current version of the described educational approach has been successfully implemented in a
number of university-level educational courses, in particular the courses "Basics of Robotics", "Cloud
Technologies", "Web Development and Web Design". Due to the versatility of the proposed solutions,
they can be extended to the field of medical education [
In this paper, we proposed modern approach to integrity of medical sciences with information
technologies i.e. MEdOps as synergy of Medical Education with nowadays technologies from education
of computer sciences and specially as DevOps i.e. "a set of practices intended to reduce the time
between committing a change to a system and the change being placed into normal production, while
ensuring high quality" [
The one of accents is on implementation of robotics with remote presence or telepresence. As a future direction, we want to improve the MEdOps approach by considering a set of telepresence robots working in cooperation. We are also working on microservices Cloud-based architecture for better functionality of the system.
It can be predicted that the future direction of LMS development will be the following: 1. Integration of artificial intelligence with LMS to create highly effective smart LMS with the possibility of a personal approach to each student 2. Wide use of telepresence robots, humanoid and highly mobile intelligent robots in close cooperation with people and cooperation among themselves 3. Improving the user interface thanks to virtual and augmented reality and blurring the line between the student's physical presence in the classroom and remote presence.
The authors plan to develop this and similar functionality for new versions of educational systems with the full involvement of various robots and virtual reality technologies.