A Robot Performs Surgery with 100% Accuracy
Researchers have announced a significant breakthrough in the field of robotic surgery, as a robot has successfully performed realistic surgery with 100% accuracy. This development marks a major step forward in the potential use of robots in operating theatres.
The machine, trained on videos of surgeries, was able to precisely perform a gallbladder removal. According to researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the US, the robot demonstrated the expertise of a skilled human surgeon, even in unexpected scenarios commonly encountered during real-life medical emergencies.
During the procedure, the robot was observed performing a lengthy phase of a gallbladder removal on a life-like patient. It was able to respond to and learn from voice commands from the surgical team, much like a novice surgeon working with a mentor.
The surgery involved 17 tasks, including identifying specific ducts and arteries, grasping them accurately, placing clips strategically, and cutting parts with scissors. The robot also adapted when dye was introduced, which altered the appearance of the organs and tissues.
Associate professor in mechanical engineering, Axel Krieger, highlighted the significance of this advancement, stating: “This moves us from robots that can execute specific surgical tasks to robots that truly understand surgical procedures.” He emphasized that this distinction brings autonomous surgical systems closer to clinical viability, capable of functioning in the unpredictable environment of actual patient care.
The research was supported by federal government funding and published in the journal Science Robotics. In 2022, a similar robot performed the first autonomous robotic surgery on a pig. However, that operation required specially marked tissue, took place in a highly controlled environment, and followed a rigid, pre-determined plan.
Krieger described the earlier phase as teaching a robot to drive along a carefully mapped route. In contrast, the new system is more akin to teaching a robot to navigate any road under any conditions, responding intelligently to whatever it encounters. He added, “To me, it really shows that it’s possible to perform complex surgical procedures autonomously.”
The new system uses the same machine learning architecture that powers ChatGPT. It adapts to a patient’s anatomical features in real-time and corrects itself as needed. The robot can respond to spoken commands such as “grab the gallbladder head” or “move the left arm a bit to the left,” and then learns from the feedback.
Ji Woong Kim, a former postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins who is now at Stanford University, said: “This work represents a major leap from prior efforts because it tackles some of the fundamental barriers to deploying autonomous surgical robots in the real world.” He noted that the research demonstrates the feasibility of AI models for surgical autonomy, once considered far off but now demonstrably viable.
Although the robot took longer to complete the surgery than a human surgeon, the results were comparable to those of an expert surgeon. The next step for the research team is to train and test the system on more types of surgeries.
Nuha Yassin, a consultant colorectal surgeon and council member at the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), commented on the findings: “It’s always exciting to see new developments in surgical innovation, especially in areas like robotics and digital surgery.” She acknowledged the need to ensure that the findings can be safely and effectively translated into human trials. Yassin emphasized the importance of prioritizing patient safety while advancing technology and training future generations in digital literacy.
As interest in robotic and digital surgery continues to grow, RCS England remains committed to supporting progress while ensuring safe implementation and training through its guidance on robotic-assisted surgery and surgical innovation. The focus remains on maintaining equity of access and safety for patients.
