Humanoid robots make medical history, perform surgery for the first time. Here's how 'Surgies' worked

A remotely controlled pair of humanoid robots completed a surgery for the first time ever. In another case, one humanoid with human assistance carried out the procedure. The proof-of-concept preclinical trial was carried out by scientists at the University of California San Diego and involved gallbladder removals in large, non-primate mammals, Popular Science reported. Robotic surgeries are common today, but they are massive devices with multiple arms and weigh over 800 kg. However, the humanoids that carried out the procedures in this case are only about five feet tall and just 27 kg. Nicknamed Surgie, the bots can be customised and are much more affordable.

Michael Yip, an engineer at the University of California San Diego, published their study in the journal Nature. They said that the robots were equipped with adapters to hold surgical tools, and that controlling them remotely felt natural. “We were surprised at how well Surgie meshed with our workspace and workflow,” said UC San Diego surgeon Nikita Thareja.

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Humanoid robots cost much less

Study co-author Shanglei Liu said these humanoids are easy to deploy in the operating room since they take up a fraction of the space and cost a fraction as much. The researchers concur that humanoid robots can help address the healthcare crisis in the world. They can be easily deployed in rural areas, on the battlefield, and even in space.

Challenges faced by humanoid robots

However, the Surgie bots did face some challenges. They had to be recalibrated multiple times, which stretched the surgery for a longer period compared to existing surgical systems. There was a lag in response time between the controller and the robot, which researchers said needs to be worked on. The team cited real world examples to express confidence that this issue would be overcome. Notably, robotic laparoscopic surgery took six hours when it was carried out for the first time. Today it only takes around 30 minutes.

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Scientists say that besides doing the surgery, Surgies can also assist in grabbing tools and cleaning up later. Yip said the goal is to create an "autonomous surgical assistant." He added that the goal is to have an operating theatre where humanoid robots and humans work side by side as an integrated team.