The world is full of unique and exciting technologies but rarely do we ever see them in practice. Big-name tech companies will announce all kinds of scientific discoveries, people will talk about their potential applications, then the media will report on it and get the world excited.

But then they just disappear.

This is actually incredibly common in the world of technology, especially when it comes to a highly-specialized industry such as healthcare. There are many reasons for this, but there’s also a silver lining when it comes to having more technologically-advanced healthcare options.

It takes a long time to adopt new technologies

The world is slow when it comes to adopting new technologies. In fact, it wasn’t until 2018 that the US military stopped using floppy disks (made all the way back in 1967) were used to coordinate nuclear launches. The healthcare industry is no different.

This is because the healthcare industry can’t just stop and allow its systems to be upgraded–it’s constantly working. For instance, pausing a hospital’s services could endanger the lives of hundreds of people, and without proper field testing, there’s no telling what could go wrong.

It’s expensive to try new technologies

Early adopters need to pay an incredible amount of money for the latest technologies, and there’s often no guarantee that it will work or even improve the medical services available from a hospital or clinic.

Luckily, as the years go by, technologies eventually get cheaper and trials reveal results that make it more practical to invest in a new technological solution. We’ve included an infographic below about AI robotics in healthcare and the types of changes we can expect to see once it becomes cheaper and more accessible.

So while your local hospital might be slow at adopting new technologies, you’ll have peace of mind knowing they’re at least thoroughly tried and tested when they’re introduced.

Infographic: Regis College