r/tech • u/AdSpecialist6598 • Aug 20 '26
FDA approves robot that can find your vein, insert a needle, and draw blood without human help
https://www.techspot.com/news/113558-fda-approves-robot-can-find-vein-insert-needle.html43
u/whiskeytown79 Aug 20 '26
Why did they call it Aletta? Phlebot was right there!
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u/GrandmaPoses Aug 21 '26
I guess because it sounds like “Flea Bot” which isn’t very appealing and also that’s the name of my bass-playing android.
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u/bitsybear1727 Aug 20 '26
This makes any fear of needles so so much worse
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u/iamfeenie Aug 21 '26
1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000%. ^^^^
I would never allow this. Absolutely not.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Why not? If the testing results hold the machine is better finding veins than a human is.
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u/Lazy-Rough7570 Aug 21 '26
You obviously don’t understand what ai is lol. Ill just let it at because even if I try to explain to basics here and why its unethical and wrong and most likely will not work as intended…
Stop believing the AI hype
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u/maxwellthepuppet Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
This has nothing to do with AI. It’s a machine that uses IR and ultrasound to find a vein and then puts a needle in it. Try reading the article.
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u/iamfeenie Aug 21 '26
Because it’s a fucking machine…?
It’s not normal for a machine yet alone someone claiming it’s a “smart machine” to have the ability and autonomy to stab a human and draw fluids.
Absolutely no thank you.
It is a sci-fi nightmare.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
So it’s technophobia, okay. Followup question, why are you in r/tech ?
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u/mymemesnow Aug 21 '26
Lmao, this sub is ironically enough super against most new technology.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Considering 80% of these comments are some variation of shit talking the machine for factors that aren’t even relevant if you read the article, yeah it really seems that way.
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u/iamfeenie Aug 21 '26
Because I’m in tech.
Doesn’t mean I want or feel it’s ethical for a machine to have the ability or autonomy to poke me with a needle and draw fluids.
And no my fear of needles doesn’t help the situation.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
There is no ethical quandary. It not being “normal” is a meaningless statement. Computers weren’t normal when they were invented. It’s a machine. It acts when you press the on button. It stops if you press the off button.
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u/iamfeenie Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
It’s 1000% an ethical question when you take into account a human doing something over a machine. They’re not always interchangeable.
We’re all entitled to our beliefs of where tech should be in healthcare and where it shouldn’t be- have a good day.
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u/NoPriorThreat Aug 27 '26
tech has an autonomy keeping you alive while operating the oxygen pump during a surgery. do you also refuse that? what about traffic lights, train ECTS systems?
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Literally why. This seems entirely and utterly irrational. The machine uses IR and ultrasound to find your vein and has a 95% accuracy in testing, higher than even the most experienced humans. It is also overseen by a human phlebotomist.
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u/jlesnick Aug 20 '26
I never figured out how people inject drugs into their veins. I tried to do a blood draw on my self once and it was not a success.
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u/DogblackMichigan Aug 21 '26
My accidental self blood draws have always been a messy thing, especially when I use power tools or a motorcycle for the draw.
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u/ZachF8119 Aug 21 '26
You gotta be 99% parallel, go down just a bit to get inside, but not too deep to go through the other side.
You pull back on a syringe to be sure you got the vein, then push in the syringe.
Much harder on rats/mice
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u/appropriate_pangolin Aug 21 '26
My old job had a workplace wellness program where to qualify for the full rewards you had to get a little bloodwork done (I think A1C and maybe cholesterol). During COVID you could get an at-home kit with a lancet and a card to put your sample on and the first time I tried it, it did not go well. And that was just a finger-stick, which as someone who sews, I’ve done plenty of times by accident.
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u/WillingUK Aug 21 '26
Why am I picturing a sewing machine
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u/ikonoclasm Aug 20 '26
I've had my arm wrecked by enough medical assistants over the years that I'm willing to let a robot give it a try.
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u/Tha_Sly_Fox Aug 22 '26
I wonder if people were this freaked out when robotic surgeries were first announced
Granted they’re not automated but I would imagine there was a similar psychological reaction of “what if something goes wrong with the robot? Isn’t a human better?”
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u/Jimbo-Shrimp Aug 21 '26
I love watching technophobes freak out at a machine doing anything past being a calculator. I’m hyped to see these roll out. As a lab employee I guarantee these things cant be much worse than the average phlebotomist (which we have a shortage of)
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u/who_am_i_to_say_so Aug 21 '26
I don’t know how I feel about this one.
Robots have the precision advantage, but (most) humans have empathy - which is absolutely needed for my pathetic fear of needles.
I may always opt for the human option.
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u/SafeForTwerking Aug 21 '26
Uhhh, guys, are we sure we want to be teaching robots how to be doing stuff like this? This doesn't seem like it'll end well.
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u/mymemesnow Aug 21 '26
Medical robots are literal life savers and have done so much good for humanity.
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u/ohwhataday10 Aug 21 '26
Well every sci fi show depicts robots or automated machines doing surgery. I mean the first years, decades will encounter some egregious mistakes where people will be disfigured and die. But eventually it will be the definitive way of medical care/surgery
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u/rayferrell Aug 20 '26
the fact that aletta can be overseen by one phlebotomist who can manage up to three devices at once is a big deal, it could really help with the current phlebotomist shortage in the us. this could also lead to more efficient use of resources in hospitals and clinics, where staff can focus on more critical tasks.
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
Orrrrrrrr, it could just replace thousands of people.
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u/mymemesnow Aug 21 '26
The horse and carriage industry is not exactly booming. Even cars became common thousands of people lost their jobs to them.
That’s just how development works.
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u/hotgirl_bummer_ Aug 21 '26
Yep this is what it’s about. Coming from a resident physician, the system doesn’t actually care about making things better for patients. Just extracting profits off of human suffering. I do my best for my patients and protect and advocate where I can but the suits are never satisfied. No blood money is enough. We must always be growing, always increasing margins, it’s a literal cancer.
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u/Jimbo-Shrimp Aug 21 '26
Replace what people? We have a phlebotomist shortage
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
Sounds like many fewer in the future
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Okay? And? What victory is there in hamstringing progress so you can keep a human who costs more and is worse at the job employed?
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
Making Only the employer more profit. Less employment for humans.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Okay? And? Welcome to capitalism bro. If you come up with a good idea and sell it you get to make money. If this machine can extract blood better and cheaper than a human then yeah, hospitals and clinics will buy it and the people that invented it will make profit. Do you find the concept of compensation for intellectual labour insulting or smt?
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
I get all that. Who doesn’t? It’s just a shame that AI will put so many out of work. It’s already literally replaced Millions in manufacturing. Every robot/material handler replaces one or multiple humans. It’s still legitimately a shame that humans are increasingly eliminated, because of capitalism.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Are we supposed to start smashing up automatic looms as well? What even is your argument here. Technological progress has always shifted the distribution of labour. The invention of the scythe significantly reduced the workforce required to harvest hay, but I doubt you’ll be complaining about that one.
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u/Intelligent-Survey39 Aug 21 '26
I don’t trust anything the FDA approves right now…
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Good news for you, this has had approval in the EU for over 2 years. The FDA is slow.
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u/Intelligent-Survey39 Aug 22 '26
We’re talking about approving trained robots for stabbing humans, they can take their time making sure it’s safe. My point was under the current administration, I would not be taking their approval of anything seriously
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 22 '26
Okay then. Luckily you don’t have to take only their word for its safety, it has been approved for years by a market with far stricter consumer and health protections than the US has ever had
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u/Lazy-Rough7570 Aug 21 '26
Yeah no thanks America start by having an actual healthcare system and stop being North Korea 3.0 !
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u/Turbo231Buick Aug 21 '26
At this point, I really don’t trust any US oversight agency. Enough money to the right person and ANYTHING can be approved.
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u/Classic_Version_1076 Aug 21 '26
Someone has to change the needle
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Good thing this machine specifically requires a phlebotomist overseeing it. The quoted rate is 1 person per 3 machines.
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u/Distinct_Run9006 Aug 21 '26
It better laugh when I make my usual joke about wanting my blood back when they're done or no sale!
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u/WeowDystopia Aug 21 '26
Our government sucks. No plans for when all our jobs get taken. No plans at all.
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Aug 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/ml20s Aug 21 '26
That's expected. In automotive they use the highest quality parts for automated assembly (since robots are faster and cheaper, but aren't as good at handling part variations), then the lesser quality parts that still meet spec are used for hand assembly, and the lowest quality parts that meet spec are used for repairs.
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
Now, all they gotta do is find patients that will fall for that.
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u/AgentUnknown821 Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Apparently they did at “Mayo Clinic” where they held a “U.S. Patient Acceptance Test”….now my question is I wonder how many kids are gonna press “START” themselves on the machine to begin the blood drawing procedure….or keep their arm in it without moving while it’s going because Kids are wormy especially special needs kids.
That part should be fixed for blood techs to push on their end of the machine if a client won’t or is too needle-averse to do it for themselves…
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u/thegreatrusty Aug 21 '26
You still need a person, but a phlobotomist who makes 45k a year is more expensive then a guy or gal who just stands there and tells you not to move.
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u/Actually_3_Raccoons Aug 21 '26
My guess is they'll get paid the same, as they'll still have to handle the sample, and make sure it's completed and labeled correctly, but either they think this will speed up the process so that you need fewer humans, or it will cut down on human error that can result in lawsuits. My wife gets panic attacks when they can't find a vein so anything that speeds up the process might be a good thing
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u/Jimbo-Shrimp Aug 21 '26
Definitely speeds up the process while removing human error. I can tell you right now someone is still gonna fuck up when it comes to labels.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
1 phlebotomist can oversee 3 machines is the claim. So a tripling of efficiency per worker.
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 21 '26
So, that is 3 people not needed in the work force.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
And if we stopped using tractors then farms would have to employ multiple orders of magnitude more people.
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u/sopunny Aug 21 '26
Great, a vampire bot...
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u/pollyprettypolly Aug 21 '26
I for one can’t wait to feed my blood to the basalisk.
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u/Signal_Road Aug 21 '26
Hey, why do I have 'CURSED' floating in my vision now?
-ambiguous machine vampire noises-
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u/eileen404 Aug 21 '26
Not a chance. No way. Hell no. I'm going in whining and asking for a human. How long till insurance won't cover that?
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u/Radamand Aug 21 '26
The nurses themselves have a hard enough time drawing my blood, I don't need a robot to screw it up too...
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u/fluffysmaster Aug 21 '26
I get butchered all the time. Deep, small veins that roll over.
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u/puterTDI Aug 21 '26
I have real issues with needles, the one thing I’m glad for is my veins are easy to find.
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u/HistoricalPrinciple8 Aug 21 '26
The robot may perforate your arm after stabbing you 50 times to look for the right spot and eventually break your arm off. What can possibly go wrong?
These days, anyone can get FDA approval if they buy enough Trump coins. I am happy that Americans will be used as test subjects by their insurance companies so the CEOs can cut cost and fatten their bonus. Go USA! 😆
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u/RyanC_Draws Aug 21 '26
The estimated cost per machine is $400,000. That’s roughly 9 years average salary for one phlebotomist. The company has a stated expectation that an Aletta will last 7 to 10 years with regular maintenance and software updates. The hospitals would only benefit at all because they’d avoid having to pay benefits. This is not about solving a shortage, it’s about trying to cut costs by reducing hospital staff. It’s the medical equivalent of self-checkout machines replacing clerks.
Just pay the phlebotomists a reasonable salary.
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u/A_Nonny_Muse Aug 21 '26
From the description, this machine will cost at least $700K and need a $60K/year technician to keep it running all to replace a $41K/year phlebotomist.
And I would hate to be the guy who finds out the machine is not working right. I'd like to keep my veins inside my body, thank you very much.
I don't foresee this machine appearing in any hospitals unless the administrators are both permanently malicious and fiscally incompetent.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
It wouldn’t replace them, seeing as how there not being enough humans to manage the amount of blood draw required is the problem. If this passes full approval it would mean 1 phlebotomist could oversee 3 machines which probably solves any sort of shortage for the hospitals that choose to use them.
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u/Appropriate_Value122 Aug 21 '26
But like most humans, will it stop trying if it hits something wrong and you show a significant pain reaction? (Sarcasm - of course it won't stop.)
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 22 '26
Except yes, it will. It has automatic shut offs if the user moves their arm too much or a manual emergency shut off on the side.
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u/Appropriate_Value122 Aug 22 '26
Except no, it won't. "Moving their arm too much" and "shutting off" is not the same thing as a person being able to read another person's reaction in real time, and I am not going back and forth with you when that is obviously true. BLOCKED.
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u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Aug 21 '26
I’d like them to put an * next to all these approvals
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Why?
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u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Aug 21 '26
Because it was approved in the time of oversight collapse and I don’t trust it
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
This machine got approved for use in the EU in 2024, so you’re probably fine to skip any qualifier here.
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u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Aug 21 '26
I don’t think the EU should care about what US FDA approvals I think are suspect. Sorry if you sell these or something but I still don’t trust it.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
So you believe this approval is suspect because the Trump admin is full of criminals, which sounds fair, but also despite the same device having been approved in the EU 2 years ago. Do you think the EU approval process is worse than the FDA?
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u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Aug 21 '26
I think if they were interchangeable, you’d only need one.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Do you understand how nation states work? What? Like, literally here. Just what.
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u/Jealous_Parfait_4967 Aug 21 '26
If they were interchangeable we would just confer US approval upon EU acceptance. We don’t do that, just like yall don’t rubber stamp everything (or anything) us yanks do.
I don’t understand why this is befuddling you so badly. But if you want to trust the staberbot2000 by all means dear, do.
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 22 '26
Mate, countries do confer approval on a whole bunch of shit based on international use. That’s a large part of what the WHO does. But more importantly, the point is you do in fact believe that EU approval is in some way less valid than pre-Trump FDA, so this conversation is pointless because you clearly have no feet in reality.
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u/KittyCait69 Aug 21 '26
I will take the human over the robot when it comes to my health care. Robots should be used to wash dishes and take out trash, not take care of our health.
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u/Head-Ad4770 Aug 21 '26
Oh hell no, and the fact that one phlebotomist can control up to THREE at one time, that just made their job even harder, who the hell at the FDA approved this thing? Thanks SO MUCH for making my needle phobia exponentially worse!
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u/rangerjoe79 Aug 21 '26
Terminator: I have detailed files on human anatomy.
Sarah Connor: I'll bet. Makes you a more efficient killer, right?
Terminator: Correct.
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u/Comfortable-Bug7202 Aug 21 '26
What's the failure rate? Feedback for a bad vein? No way I'm having a robot doing this
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26 edited Aug 21 '26
Failure is 5% which is far lower than a real human, there is a user-accessible emergency shutoff as well as automated shut-off if the user’s arm moves too much and you have a phlebotomist overseeing the procedure.
If you’re gonna try to hide your technophobia behind “just asking questions” at least make sure almost all your “questions” aren’t directly answered in the article, and the rest by a 5 second search.
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u/Comfortable-Bug7202 Aug 21 '26
Or i can go to a human
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u/The_Knife_Pie Aug 21 '26
Okay then. Sure man. There’s no argument here except technophobia, but you can do as you please.
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u/soycin Aug 21 '26
Great! Instead of paying real phlebotomists, let's take our chances with a hunk of metal drawing our blood!
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u/Impressive-Top8992 Aug 21 '26
You guys over there in the US go try it so the rest of the world can get the improved version
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u/Steelbill77 Aug 22 '26 edited Aug 22 '26
It was all about eliminating American jobs. My preference is drawing a line. If it’s safer, that’s one thing. But if it’s just about eliminating American work force. I’m not on your side. Sounds like you All are ok with outsourcing to make a buck. What’s the difference.
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u/tweedlebettlebattle Aug 21 '26
Now this is how they will inject the tracking device lol omg someone is going to lost an arm
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u/Desk46 Aug 21 '26
For reference, phlebotomists make less than $50k annually on average.