UC San Diego Researchers Perform First Remote-Controlled Humanoid Robot Surgeries

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have achieved a historic milestone by conducting the first live surgeries using remotely controlled humanoid robots. Published in the prestigious journal Nature, the study involved two successful experiments on large animals, demonstrating a revolutionary potential to transform surgical procedures.

In the first experiment, a humanoid robot collaborated with a human surgeon to perform a gallbladder removal. In the second, two robots conducted the procedure entirely without direct manual intervention from medical staff at the operating table. In both cases, surgeons controlled the robots in real time from a remote location.

The robots, named "Surgie," are compact, standing about 1.5 meters tall and weighing approximately 27 kilograms. This contrasts sharply with traditional surgical robotic systems that can weigh up to 800 kilograms and require costly hospital infrastructure modifications. The researchers emphasize that the system’s simplicity and portability could make life-saving treatments accessible in remote or resource-limited areas.

However, the team acknowledges that the technology is still in early stages. The surgeries required repeated system calibrations and took longer than current advanced robotic surgeries. Latency, the delay between surgeon commands and robot response, remains a significant challenge, especially for long-distance remote control. Dr. Shangli Liu, one of the surgeons involved, noted that early robotic surgeries also took much longer but have since become faster.

Looking ahead, the researchers envision humanoid robots becoming integral members of surgical teams, not only performing operations but also assisting with logistics, equipment handling, preparation, and cleaning. They suggest this approach could address medical staff shortages and enable surgeries in extreme environments such as battlefields or space missions. Liu highlighted that the system’s lower cost, smaller footprint, and deployability open new possibilities for modern medicine.