In a major step toward autonomous healthcare, a robot successfully completed laparoscopic surgery on a pig without human backup.
Designed by a team of Johns Hopkins University researchers, the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) has performed the procedure—which requires a high level of repetitive motion and precision—in four animals, producing “significantly better” results than humans.
“Our findings show that we can automate one of the most intricate and delicate tasks in surgery: the reconnection of two ends of an intestine,” according to Axel Krieger, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at JHU’s Whiting School of Engineering. Even the slightest hand tremor or misplaced stitch can lead to catastrophic complications.
Krieger, in collaboration with the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and Hopkins professor of electrical and computer engineering Jin Kang, designed and built the vision-guided robot specifically to suture soft tissue. The new model, guided by a machine-learning tracking algorithm, is based on one from 2016 that accurately repaired a pig’s intestines, but required more human guidance.
STAR features specialized suturing tools, state-of-the-art imaging programs, and a novel control system that adjusts the operating plan in real time—ideal for unpredictable soft-tissue surgeries. Muscle, tendons, ligaments, fat, and other soft tissues can move and change shape during a medical procedure, requiring a quick response to keep stitching at tight and even as possible.
Part of the appeal of a robot surgeon, as Krieger explained, is its ability to democratize patient care by removing the hierarchy of human skill and allowing for more predictable and consistent outcomes.
