The last sixty years has seen tremendous change in the structure of health systems across the world. Speakers at this evening’s event predicted that the next ten to twenty years will see even more advances that will significantly affect the very nature of healthcare.

Professor Jian Dai of King’s College London, a mechanical engineer who has been working in the field of robotics for over twenty years, argued that the use of robotics will be the defining feature of 21^st century healthcare. 

There are currently 1750 surgical robots that are in regular clinical use worldwide and medical robotic research is underway in over 100 universities. Professor Dai said: “This century, there will be a momentous input from robots. In 2035, robotics for healthcare will feature in hospitals everywhere, like we see now in automobile factories.”

Professor Dame Athene Donald, a physicist at the University of Cambridge, threw light on what the physical sciences can offer biomedicine. She discussed how the contribution from the physical science community to biomedicine was less obvious than that from other areas, but cited microfluidics and biologically-tuned synthetic structures and surfaces as integral to development, adding: “We need to understand all the physical processes as well as the biological…These are the types of things that will transform the quality of life for people.”

Dr Anders Sandberg of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford examined the motivations fordevelopments in public healthcare, discussing the move from palliative to curative medicine in the 20^th century and predicting a shift from preventative to enhancive medicine in the 21^st century. The audience considered a future society benefiting from individual cognitive enhancement: “Perhaps cognitive enhancement is something you should pay for your neighbour, because the smarter we are, the better off we are together.”

Collective cognition re-emerged when Professor Martin Roland, GP and Chair of Health Services Research at the University of Cambridge said: “The doctors are going to become smarter, the patients are going to become smarter and they are going to need to develop new methods of communicating. We may be looking at a new generation that thinks very differently about how they communicate with professionals.”

The increased use of the internet by patients to research their condition could result in a generation of patients who know more about their condition than their doctor and a feedback system similar to the travel research website Trip Advisor. He suggested that these uses of the internet could lead to the development of specialist doctors and prompt them to improve their services. However, he cautioned that this could advantage articulate patients with the ability to interpret complex information on the web, with the ominous warning: “Quite a lot of what we have heard about this evening could lead to increased health inequalities.”

I saw some amazing shows and met some amazing people. Highlights included watching Stefan Gates cause a frenzy for chicken hearts during his family show, I wonder if the stampede of children to get to these ‘chicken nuggets’ featured in the risk assessment! I also saw an awe inspiring show about autism featuring artists and scientists, and the talent that stems from having the disorder, which definitely gave me food for thought. I saw the Echo of Creation by Andrew Pontzen, I highly recommend going to see one of his shows, he’s funny, engaging and very accessible.

Taking part in a seance with Richard Wiseman was definitely the star of the programme for me. Participating in a seance conducted by a Psychologist at a Science Festival is a very odd experience as you know it’s all smoke and mirrors, but I am still puzzled by how he did it. This is definitely one for the list for 2012.

Cheltenham know how to party, a big thank you to them for their hospitality. It was great to see all those fantastic people again and as a result we have some really brilliant things in the pipeline for next year. Let the good times roll!

So looking forward to 2012, I’ve just updated the yearly plan, and have a blank timetable to fill. I have already drawn up a very long list of people, but it would be great to know who you want to see or what topics you’d like covered, so please get in touch.

A sneaky peak of my list includes Professor Brian Cox, Richard Wiseman, Stefan Gates, Helen Arney, Jim Al Kalili, the list goes on and on. I’m also planning more hands on events for adults and an even bigger family programme so put the 12 – 25 March in your diary because it’s going to be action packed.

I’m not going to give too much away at this stage but there are some very big things in the pipeline. Be sure to check back for regular updates on how the Festival is shaping up, including exclusives, questions and competitions. I’ll also add updates whilst I’m out and about at other events organised by the University of Cambridge and beyond over the next few months. Check the What’s On guide for details of the many events we have on offer.

See you around!