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Shi Huang

US scientists have carried out keyhole surgery with a Chinese-made robot taking the place of the lead surgeon.
The general-purpose humanoid robot made by Unitree Robotics was remotely controlled by two human surgeons as it successfully removed a pig’s gallbladder at the University of California San Diego (UCSD).
Another robot also played a support role during the procedure, controlling the endoscope used to monitor the operation and retracting tissue.
“Remotely operated and autonomous humanoid robots have real potential for expanding access to critical surgeries that patients might otherwise go without,” said Michael Yip, a professor in UCSD’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and senior author of a paper on the surgery.

“This could help address healthcare crises not only in the US, but worldwide,” Yip told university newspaper UCSD Today.
The robot, nicknamed Surgie, is based on the Unitree G1 – a humanoid standing about 1.5 metres (5 feet) tall and weighing roughly 27kg (60lbs).
The team modified the robot for surgery, designing an adaptor that allowed its hands to grip the same instruments used by human surgeons.
Traditional surgical robots such as the Da Vinci Surgical System are specialised and expensive, with a large physical footprint.
The teleoperated Unitree performs with the same precision as these dedicated surgical robots, according to the paper published in Nature on Wednesday.
They can also use instruments and facilities designed for humans – something that helps reduce the costs involved.
The team performed two keyhole operations to remove the gallbladder from pigs – a procedure known as a laparoscopic cholecystectomy – according to the study, the first author of which was Liang Zekai, a Chinese doctoral candidate at UCSD.
In one operation, a single G1 worked alongside a human assistant surgeon. In the other, two G1 robots completed the procedure together.
Although the operations were successfully completed, the team faced a range of challenges.
The G1 procedures took significantly longer than those performed by humans or existing robotic systems. This was partly because the robots needed to be recalibrated and repositioned several times during the procedure and, unlike a human surgeon, they cannot perform smooth and continuous movements.
In the second procedure, there was mild bile leakage and liver bed bleeding, both of which were resolved without serious complications.

The researchers believe that further training could help reduce the time taken to carry out operations and reduce the risk of complications.
“In 1997, the first robotic laparoscopic cholecystectomy took six hours. Now, with the G1 robot, it only takes 30 minutes,” Dr Liu Shanglei, assistant professor of surgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine, who operated the robot during the study and is a co-author of the paper, told UCSD Today.
“It’s easy to deploy – anywhere from rural areas to the battlefield and even in space.”
Unitree Technology and UCSD have been asked for comment.


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US scientists use Chinese humanoid robot to carry out keyhole surgery and remove organs

The robots operate on a pig to remove its gallbladder. Photo: Handout

A human-robot team successfully performed a gallbladder removal. Photo: Handout

The robots were controlled by human surgeons during the operation. Photo: Handout

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China

The robot, nicknamed Surgie, was remotely controlled by human surgeons as it carried out the procedure on a pig


The robot, nicknamed Surgie, was remotely controlled by human surgeons as it carried out the procedure on a pig.


United States

Unitree Robotics

US scientists use Chinese humanoid robot to carry out keyhole surgery and remove organs

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The robot, nicknamed Surgie, was remotely controlled by human surgeons as it carried out the procedure on a pig

The robot, nicknamed Surgie, was remotely controlled by human surgeons as it carried out the procedure on a pig