Humanoid robots have performed the first ever gallbladder surgeries on pigs, paving the way for human trials.
The surgeries were performed at the University of California San Diego, and the findings published in a new article in the journal Nature.
The first procedure was performed by a humanoid robot with the assistance of a surgeon.
The second was performed by two robots working together.
“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.
The robots that performed the surgeries featured a head and arms and take up less space than robots that are already in use in some hospitals.
“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.”
The robots could be one solution to persistent staffing shortages, allowing hospitals to perform significantly more procedures, saving lives. The equipment can also be used in out-of-the-way places, like rural hospitals, where otherwise bulky equipment would be impractical or impossible to use.
“I believe we’ve shown that it is possible to use humanoid robots in an operating room to do real procedures that can eventually save lives,” said Michael Yip, a UC San Diego professor.
Humanoid robots have begun to appear in a variety of settings including factories, warehouses and even on the battlefield. One major advantage is the fact they do not require the environment to be radically redesigned to accommodate them.
A recent Morgan Stanley report projects that China, the current leader in the field, will produce 446,000 humanoid units annually by 2030, with full-size humanoids growing from 30% market share in 2026 to 70% by 2028.
One Response
What could possibly go wrong LOL
A Pig is alot different than a Human Being