AI Surgical Robot Achieves Medical Milestone

In a groundbreaking advancement, researchers from Johns Hopkins University, in collaboration with Stanford and Columbia, have developed an AI-powered surgical robot that successfully performed a full gallbladder removal without any human assistance.

The robot, named SRT-H, completed all 17 steps of the procedure on pig cadavers with 100% accuracy in eight consecutive trials. Unlike current surgical robots, which require continuous human control, SRT-H independently planned and executed every movement using advanced video-based training and a two-tier AI system.

Trained on over 17 hours of surgical footage, the system demonstrated greater precision and consistency than human surgeons, making real-time corrections during the operation. While the procedure was slower than human-led surgery, it marked the first time an AI system has autonomously completed an entire surgical operation.

Researchers emphasize that this is an early-stage breakthrough. The robot has only been tested on non-living tissue and still requires human oversight for tasks like changing instruments. Live tissue trials and human surgeries are expected to take place within the next decade, pending safety validations and regulatory approvals.

Experts say the innovation could revolutionize surgery by improving accuracy, reducing fatigue-related errors, and expanding access to advanced surgical care worldwide.

Source : https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/ai-powered-surgical-robot-performed-a-full-operation-with-zero-help-from-humans/