Eastside Medical Center celebrated the addition of the hospital’s new surgical robot, the Mako System robotic-arm, with an open house, ribbon cutting, and Name Our Robot awards ceremony on Thursday, October 25 at their main hospital located at 1700 Medical Way in Snellville. Attendees included hospital leaders, community leaders, chamber members, and Gwinnett and Walton County middle school principals, teachers, and students.
Gwinnett and Walton County students were in attendance in anticipation of the announcement of the winner for the hospital’s Name Our Robot contest. Eastside Medical Center engaged all middle schools throughout Gwinnett and Walton County to encourage their students to participate in their Name Our Robot art contest, which ran from mid-September through October 1. The purpose of the contest was to engage students in the local community to creatively name the robot while learning how technology advances the delivery of patient care. The contest assisted in raising awareness for this new and advanced technology now available to the Gwinnett County community at Eastside Medical Center.
Over 80 local students submitted artwork for the contest. Entries were judged based upon originality, innovation, creativity, thoughtfulness, and clarity. The entries were first voted on by the Eastside Medical Center executive leadership team, then by the hospital’s OR staff, and the final vote was cast by the hospital’s affiliated orthopedic surgeons.
The first place winner for the Name Our Robot contest was Alton C. Crews Middle School student, Shayda Torab, with her name and illustration of “R2-Knee2.” Torab received a $100 cash prize, trophy, and Eastside Medical Center donated $500 to Alton C. Crews Middle School in honor of this accomplishment.
“I did a little research on the name of well-known robots in movies. Then, knowing this robot helps with knee surgeries, I tried to incorporate the word ‘knee’ into the name,” Torab replied when asked about her inspiration for her robot’s name and design. “I liked everything about the ceremony, especially the food! After the ceremony a lot of people at school congratulated me, especially my journalism class.”
The two runner-ups for the contest were Deana Haileye of Jordan Middle School with her drawing of “M.E.D. Bot,” and Kaylee Stern of Crews Middle School with her drawing of “R2 FIXU.” Both Haileye and Stern received a $25 cash prize.
The remaining finalists for Eastside Medical Center’s Name Our Robot contest were as follows:
Huong Luong, Sweetwater Middle School, “Felix”
Nathalia Muralles, Jordan Middle School, “Mrs. Roboto”
Zeniya Buggs and Alma Villapando, Snellville Middle School, “S.H.R.I.M.P. Super High Robot Intelligence Mechanism Procedure”
Vishnu Kunnammal, Alton C. Crews Middle School, “Tinker”
Nancy Sierra, Sweetwater Middle School, “T.R.A.S. Technological Robotic Arm of Surgeries”
Meredith Manlove-Simmons, Alton C. Crews Middle School, “Surge”
Kristina Nguyen, Sweetwater Middle School, “Kiaria”
Amel Mehmedovic, Sweetwater Middle School, “Apollo”
The Mako robotic-arm assisted application used at Eastside Medical Center is a knee replacement treatment option designed to relieve the pain caused by joint degeneration due to osteoarthritis. This technology enables surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience with increased accuracy.
Attendees at this event were able to spend time with “R2-Knee2” alongside the hospital’s orthopedic surgeons and care team, learning how the robot works through simulation. Using a virtual 3D model, the robotic-arm allows surgeons to create each patient’s surgical plan pre-operatively before entering the operating room. During surgery, the surgeon can validate that plan and make any necessary adjustments while guiding the robotic-arm to execute that plan.
“Robotic-assisted surgery is changing the way joint replacement surgeries are performed by providing each patient with a personalized surgical experience based on their individual needs,” explained Trent Lind, Chief Executive Officer at Eastside Medical Center. “We are proud to be the first hospital in Gwinnett County to offer this highly advanced robotic technology to complement existing services within our orthopedic service line.”
For more information on orthopedic services available at Eastside Medical Center, please visit EastsideMedical.com.
