The Robot Surgeon In Testing Phase

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have taken a major step toward robot-assisted surgery by successfully using humanoid robots to remove gallbladders from large animals.

In one operation, a human surgeon worked alongside a robot. In another, two humanoid robots performed the surgery together under human supervision.

Unlike today’s large robotic surgery systems, these robots are human-sized (about 5 feet tall), lighter, and take up less space, which could make them easier and less expensive for hospitals to use.

The long-term goal isn’t to replace surgeons, but to allow expert surgeons to operate remotely or eventually have robots perform some procedures autonomously in areas where trained surgeons aren’t available.

The technology is still in the testing phase and has not yet been approved for human surgeries, but the successful animal procedures are an important milestone toward that possibility.

How terrifying!
Lana Backman