Humanoid robot performs surgery for the first time in major robotics breakthrough

Humanoid-style robot performs surgery for the first time, marking a potential turning point in the relationship between robotics and healthcare. Working alongside surgeons from the University of California San Diego, a robot named Surgie successfully removed a gallbladder. In another operation, "Surgie" was joined by another robot also dubbed “Surgie” to work alongside one another to perform a laparoscopic gallbladder removal. Both procedures were performed on non-primate mammals, The Independent reports.

"This study shows that humanoid robots have a viable future in the field of surgery," said Michael Yip, a faculty member in the UC San Diego Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.," said to The Independent. "Remotely operated and autonomous humanoid robots have real potential for amplifying access to critical surgeries to which patients would otherwise not have access. This can help address the healthcare crisis not only in the United States, but also worldwide."

The researchers behind the breakthrough say these humanoid robots could offer several advantages over the complex surgical systems currently in use.

"It's a fraction of the cost and it takes a fraction of the space in an operating room," said Shanglei Liu, MD, an assistant professor of surgery at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and one of the paper's senior authors, who teleoperated the robot during the study. "So it's easy to deploy, anywhere from rural areas to the battlefield and even to space."

The development comes as researchers and technology companies around the world continue exploring how artificial intelligence and robotics can transform healthcare. While humanoid surgical robots remain in the early stages of development and will require additional testing before being used on human patients, researchers say the technology could eventually help expand access to more specialized medical procedures in areas where trained surgeons are in very high demand or unavailable.