Surgeons Achieve World First with Teleoperated Humanoid Robot Surgery

In a groundbreaking leap for surgical robotics, researchers at the University of California San Diego have successfully conducted two surgeries using teleoperated humanoid robots, marking a significant milestone in medical technology. This breakthrough, detailed in the July 8 issue of Nature, highlights the potential shift towards humanoid robots playing integral roles in operating rooms worldwide.

The team accomplished two distinct procedures during a preclinical trial involving large non-primate mammals. In one operation, a unique human-robot collaboration occurred where a humanoid robot performed the gallbladder removal while a human surgeon assisted. The second procedure showcased a fully robot-robot team, with two humanoid robots working in unison to perform the surgery. These experiments establish a proof-of-concept that humanoid robots can effectively contribute to surgical care.

Unlike conventional robotic surgical systems—which are large, specialized, and limited to specific tasks—these humanoid robots demonstrate versatility and compactness. Weighing just 60 pounds and standing five feet tall, the robots, nicknamed Surgie, can operate in smaller, more constrained spaces without necessitating expensive retrofitting of operating rooms. Their mobility and adaptability make them especially suited for under-resourced and remote areas where access to specialized surgical systems is impractical.

The control interface for Surgie feels intuitive to surgeons, including those untrained in traditional robotic systems, facilitating smoother integration into clinical workflows. According to Shanglei Liu, MD, who teleoperated these robots during the study, the precision achieved rivals that of existing surgical robotic platforms but requires only a fraction of the cost and physical space, enabling deployment across diverse environments, from rural clinics to battlefield zones, and potentially even extraterrestrial missions.

Despite these promising results, some limitations remain. Teleoperation currently suffers from intermittent latency and calibration needs that prolong surgery duration compared to mature robotic systems. Nevertheless, experience suggests that with refinement, these hurdles can be overcome—mirroring the historical trajectory of early robotic laparoscopic surgeries, which initially took hours and now require minutes.

Beyond direct surgical intervention, the humanoid design permits multifunctional applications; the robots can assist by fetching tools or managing post-operative cleanup, emphasizing their role as integrated surgical team members rather than isolated tools. Researchers envision a future where autonomous surgical assistants work seamlessly alongside humans, addressing global shortages of surgical staff and expanding access to critical healthcare in challenging settings.

This pioneering work is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, with engineers and surgeons at UC San Diego’s Center for the Future of Surgery driving innovation that bridges technology and clinical expertise. The study lays a foundation for more versatile, accessible, and scalable robotic surgery solutions—poised to revolutionize operative care and address pressing healthcare disparities.

Keywords

Medical robots, Surgical robots, Robotics, Human robot interaction, Surgery, Endoscopic surgery, Engineering