緒言とまとめ

Engineering for the Future of Anesthesiology：Preface and Comments

　1895年のレントゲンによるX線の発明以来，工学は医学における重要な発見や，臨床医療の進歩に大きなインパクトを与え続けている（表）^1）。

　Since the invention of the X-ray by Roentgen in 1895, engineering has contributed to important discoveries in medicine and continues to have a significant impact on clinical practice. It is universally acknowledged that the routine use of pulse oximeters and capnographs in the 1990s led to a significant decrease in anesthesia-related deaths.

　Engineering is still developing from a variety of completely new perspectives, including machine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence（AI）, virtual reality（VR）, simulation, and more.

　In this special issue, experts at the forefront of engineering directly describe some of the gemstones of engineering research that have the potential to drastically change the future of anesthesiology from a variety of perspectives. The content of each author’s manuscript includes new technology, biomaterial, devices, AI, VR, and 3D computer graphics, and each gives an image of the application in clinical anesthesia practice, medical safety, and education. If clinical anesthesiologists actively imagine applying the above technologies to their clinical practice, it will increase the chances and speed of adapting them, which in turn will create a better world.