A robot has successfully performed the first automated laparoscopic surgery without human help.
Laparoscopy, also known as keyhole surgery, allows a surgeon to access the inside of the abdomen and pelvis without making large incisions in the skin.
The procedure was carried out by the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), designed by a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
It worked on the soft tissue of pigs and excelled at intestinal anastomosis, which consists of reconnecting two ends of an intestine.
According to the team, who detailed the robot’s achievements in the journal Science Robotics this week, the process is one of the most delicate and intricate tasks that a surgeon can undertake.
The team also said that STAR performed the anastomosis operation on four animals with “significantly better results” than human surgeons carrying out the same procedure.
Connecting two ends of an intestine is a very challenging process, requiring the surgeon to perform suturing with very high levels of accuracy and consistency.
Tiny hand tremors or misplaced sutures could potentially lead to a leak that would have serious consequences for a patient.
Robot uses AI and advanced visual systems
STAR is based on an earlier design that was able to perform the suturing but required a larger incision than that used in keyhole surgery, as well as guidance from humans.
The new robot was equipped with enhanced visual systems and a machine learning AI tracking algorithm that allowed for more autonomy.
This is important because soft tissue surgery can be unpredictable, requiring the surgeon to adapt quickly to changes.
The robot uses a structural light-based 3D endoscope developed at the university to ‘see’ what is going on.
These 3D visual capabilities coupled with the AI tracking system provide STAR with the ability to adjust its surgical plan in real time, much as a human surgeon would do.
Jin Kang, a professor of electrical and computer engineering who worked on the project, said that the advanced visual system was essential in making surgical robots “smarter and safer”.
Colleague and senior author Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, said that a robotic system was important as surgery moved towards more laparoscopic or keyhole procedures.
He said that a robotic approach provided a way to provide more accuracy and precision on procedures that required high precision and repeatability.
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