Robo-surgeon does first solo operation

A ROBOT “surgeon” trained on videos has performed the first realistic operation without human help.

- By Stephen Beech

The droid conducted extensive surgery to remove a gallbladder without the aid of humans in what scientists say is a “major leap” forward.

It operated for the first time on a “lifelike” patient and during the procedure responded to and learned from voice commands from the human team - like a novice surgeon working with a mentor.

Researchers say the robot surgeon performed “unflappably” across trials and with the expertise of a skilled human expert — even during unexpected scenarios typical in real-life medical emergencies.

The US team — led by scientists at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore — described the work as a “transformative advancement” in surgical robotics as it uses precision, “human-like” adaptability and understanding.

Viable

Medical roboticist Professor Axel Krieger, of Johns Hopkins, said: “This advancement moves us from robots that can execute specific surgical tasks to robots that truly understand surgical procedures.