Humanoid robots have successfully performed gallbladder removal surgeries in live pigs for the first time, marking a significant milestone in the development of robotic surgery and paving the way for future human trials.
The procedures were carried out by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, with the findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
The first operation involved a humanoid robot working alongside a surgeon. In the second, two humanoid robots completed the procedure together without direct human assistance.
Researchers say the successful surgeries represent an important proof of concept as the technology moves toward clinical testing in humans.
“As a proof of concept, it absolutely worked,” Dr. Ryan Broderick, interim director of the Center for the Future of Surgery at UC San Diego, told ABC News.
Unlike conventional robotic surgical platforms, the humanoid robots feature a head and two arms.
This allows them to work in operating rooms without the bulky equipment typically required for robot-assisted procedures.
“The space constraints didn’t exist like in traditional robotic surgery,” Broderick said.
“It was a human-type bedside assistant, so it just fit into the space that we’re traditionally used to being in for laparoscopic surgery.”
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