Surgeons used remote-controlled humanoid robots in pig surgery trial

In short: Researchers reported that surgeons remotely controlled humanoid robots to remove gallbladders from live pigs in a preclinical trial.

What happened

Researchers at the University of California San Diego tested a new kind of robot setup for surgery. Instead of a purpose-built surgical robot, they used two humanoid robots, meaning robots shaped like people with arms and legs.

The robots removed gallbladders from two live pigs using minimally invasive surgery, which uses small cuts and long tools instead of a large opening. The work was published in the journal Nature and it was described as a preclinical trial, which means it is an early test to see if something is even practical before trying it in people.

The key detail is that the robots were not acting on their own. Surgeons controlled them from a computer console, like using very precise remote-control hands. The team had to build adapters so the robots could hold surgical tools, and they wrote software so the surgeon’s hand movements would translate smoothly to the tools.

Why it matters

Specialized surgical robots, like the da Vinci system, are widely used and cleared by regulators, but they can cost from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars and take up a lot of space. The humanoid robot used here, a Unitree G1, is much smaller and can be cheaper, although needed upgrades can raise the price.

Still, the trial also showed clear limits. The team had to pause to recalibrate and reposition the robots, and the surgeries took longer than with existing surgical systems. Researchers also noted that even small delays between a surgeon’s movement and the robot’s response could matter for remote surgery.

Source: Arstechnica