Humanoid robots have performed surgical operations on live animals for the first time. According to Gizmodo, during an experiment in the United States, the machines were used to remove the gallbladder from two pigs, both of which survived the procedure without complications.
The operation involved two robotic systems, along with a human assistant and a veterinarian, while all movements of the devices were remotely controlled by experienced surgeons. The researchers noted that although robotic systems are already being used in modern medicine, the potential of humanoid machines in this specific context had never been explored before. This study aims to determine whether such mechanisms can serve as assistants and thus alleviate the workload of practicing surgeons, who often suffer from overload and professional burnout.
One of the senior authors of the project, Professor Michael Yip, told reporters that in the future, such devices could be deployed in remote areas with a shortage of personnel, or in extreme conditions—for example, during rescue missions where rapid deployment of field medicine is required in a short time frame.
From a clinical perspective, the experiment was deemed successful: both animals survived, and the target organs were completely removed. At the same time, the project participants noted significant signal transmission delays, which negatively affected control. Engineers now face the task of fine-tuning the equipment and achieving faster responsiveness of the systems to commands from the operating surgeons.
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