Fellows Participate in First Teleoperated Humanoid Robot Surgery

The human-robot team successfully performed a gallbladder removal on a porcine model. (University of California, San Diego)

Researchers at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) have reported the first successful use of teleoperated humanoid robots to perform minimally invasive surgery in live preclinical models, marking a significant milestone in surgical robotics. 

Published in Nature and coauthored by two ACS Fellows—Garth R. Jacobsen, MD, FACS, chief of the division of minimally invasive surgery at UCSD, and Ryan Broderick, MD, interim director of UCSD Center for the Future of Surgery—the study demonstrated that humanoid robots were able to complete laparoscopic cholecystectomies in live porcine models using standard surgical instruments and existing OR infrastructure. 

Unlike conventional robotic platforms that are purpose-built for surgery, the UCSD team adapted commercially available humanoid robots for use as teleoperated surgical assistants. 

In one procedure, a humanoid robot worked alongside a human surgeon, while a second operation involved two humanoid robots working together under the control of a remote surgeon. The robots performed critical operative tasks, including tissue retraction, dissection, and gallbladder removal. Although the procedures required occasional recalibration and were slower than standard robotic surgery, the findings demonstrated that humanoid platforms can achieve the precision required for complex minimally invasive procedures. 

Because humanoid robots are designed to operate in environments built for humans, they can use conventional laparoscopic instruments and integrate into existing ORs without the extensive infrastructure required for dedicated robotic surgical systems. Their relatively low cost could also expand access to robotic-assisted surgery in rural hospitals, resource-limited settings, military medicine, disaster response, and other environments where current robotic platforms are impractical. 

The investigators emphasize that clinical implementation remains years away and that this nascent technology has significant limitations, but if future studies confirm safety and effectiveness, this technology could reshape how robotic surgery is delivered and substantially broaden access to high-quality surgical care.