How Robotics Improve Surgical Precision

From Surgery to Shop Floor: Force-Sensing Robots Are Here At a hospital in Los Angeles, a new chapter in robotic surgery just began. https://lnkd.in/eBXsqdJr Using the next-generation Intuitive da Vinci 5 system, a surgeon performed a procedure with not just robotic precision—but the ability to feel. With force feedback technology, the surgeon could sense tissue tension in real time—offering a level of control previously impossible with vision alone. For decades, vision has ruled alone in surgery. Now, with the addition of force sensing, a host of advantages emerge: • Greater precision • Safer tissue handling • More intuitive control for the surgeon This same combination of force + vision sensing is exactly what’s needed across robotic applications: • Complex assembly and insertion tasks • Fragile material handling • Human-safe collaboration ATI Industrial Automation and Celera Motion, A Novanta Company support this future—developing the force sensors and precision components that help robots do more, safely and effectively. #robotics

Using a surgical robot, lead surgeon Dr. Kenneth Liao and his team made small, precise incisions, eliminating the need to open the chest and break the breast bone. Liao removed the diseased heart, and the new heart was implanted through preperitoneal space, avoiding chest incision. "Opening the chest and spreading the breastbone can affect wound healing and delay rehabilitation and prolong the patient's recovery, especially in heart transplant patients who take immunosuppressants," said Liao, professor and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and circulatory support at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center. "With the robotic approach, we preserve the integrity of the chest wall, which reduces the risk of infection and helps with early mobility, respiratory function and overall recovery." In addition to less surgical trauma, the clinical benefits of robotic heart transplant surgery include avoiding excessive bleeding from cutting the bone and reducing the need for blood transfusions, which minimizes the risk of developing antibodies against the transplanted heart. Before the transplant surgery, the 45-year-old patient had been hospitalized with advanced heart failure since November 2024 and required multiple mechanical devices to support his heart function. He received a heart transplant in early March 2025 and after heart transplant surgery, he spent a month in the hospital before being discharged home, without complications.

An AI robot just performed 7 gallbladder surgeries - with 100% success. Here’s what happened: A research team at Johns Hopkins built an AI-powered robot trained on 17 hours of surgery footage and 16,000+ motions. The AI watched how surgeons perform a gallbladder removal. Then it turned that learning into precise 3D movements - and carried out the surgery by itself. They didn’t test this on an actual human yet, of course. It was on a pig cadaver. But the AI completed it without any remote control or manual help. It even caught and corrected its own errors - like adjusting tension or improving cut angles mid-operation. And to prove it wasn’t a fluke, the robot repeated the same surgery 7 times. Each one was a success. So what makes this different from regular surgical robots? → Most surgical robots are assisted - they still rely on human control. → This robot was autonomous - it made decisions, executed them, and adapted in real-time However, it still needed humans for one thing: changing surgical tools. But every critical action - locating, cutting, separating organs - was done by the AI. Why does this matter? Because this could be the beginning of AI-assisted surgery at scale: - In rural hospitals where specialists aren’t available - In operating rooms where precision is life-saving - In workflows where automation can reduce fatigue, errors, and costs I know we’re probably still a decade away from live human trials. But the shift is already happening - from AI as a second opinion… to AI as a surgical assistant (or even a surgeon!). Would you trust an AI to perform surgery if the success rate was proven? #AI #healthtech #innovation