Humanoid robots perform world's first live surgery in the US

The surgeries were carried out by engineers and surgeons at the University of California San Diego, with the findings published on Wednesday in the journal Nature.

In one procedure, a humanoid robot worked alongside a human surgeon to remove a gallbladder. In another, two humanoid robots operated together to complete the same procedure. Both surgeries were performed on large non-primate mammals.

"This study shows that humanoid robots have a viable future in the field of surgery," Michael Yip, a faculty member in the UC San Diego Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and one of the study's senior authors, said, as quoted by UC San Diego Today.

"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 U.S., but also worldwide."

Teleoperated humanoid robots used to perform a live surgery. Photo courtesy of UC San Diego

Researchers said the trial demonstrated that teleoperated humanoid robots could assist surgeons in operating rooms today and eventually perform procedures remotely.

Unlike conventional surgical robotic systems, which typically weigh about 1,800 pounds (816 kilograms), require dedicated operating rooms, proprietary software, specialized instruments and trained support staff, the humanoid robots are compact and mobile. The robots used in the study, nicknamed Surgie, stand about 5 feet tall and weigh around 60 pounds.

Their smaller size and lower cost could make advanced robotic surgery practical in rural hospitals and other under-resourced settings where installing conventional surgical systems would be prohibitively expensive.

Researchers said the robots integrated smoothly into existing operating rooms with only minor adaptations to standard surgical instruments and achieved precision comparable to conventional teleoperated surgical robots, according to Interesting Engineering.

Despite the successful demonstrations, the researchers said several technical hurdles remain before the technology can be widely adopted.

The robots required multiple recalibrations during the procedures, increasing operating times compared with existing robotic surgical systems. Another major challenge is communication latency, the delay between a surgeon's commands and the robot's movements, which must be reduced before long-distance remote surgery becomes practical.

Beyond performing operations, the researchers envision humanoid robots taking on broader roles in operating rooms, including retrieving surgical instruments, assisting medical staff with routine tasks and cleaning operating rooms after procedures.

"Our goal is an operating theatre of the future, where humanoid robots and humans work side by side as an integrated team to deliver procedures to those in need, both in traditional hospital settings as well as in non-traditional, field medicine scenarios," Yip said.