Autonomous robot surgeon had a surgery on soft tissue almost without human help

Each year in the United States spend more than 45 million transactions on the soft tissues. Such operations are of complexity, even for an experienced surgeon - to work with the soft and pliable material. The edges of the rough material, and it is very difficult to choose the best point for threading a needle on each seam.

However, experts from the Washington Medical Center Children's National Medical Center have designed a robot that successfully conducted such an operation. According to the accuracy of suturing it even surpassed the professional surgeon.

To test the operation to the imposition of the intestinal anastomosis was performed (connection of two tubular sections of the intestine) - a standard procedure, which ends many bowel surgery. When applying these joints is important to follow clear gaps between the joints and not pull the thread too much.



Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot Robot (STAR) is specifically designed for operations on soft tissues. The video shows how to manual hand stitches, carefully taking aim with the help of computer vision system (infrared cameras are guided by looming in the tissue a fluorescent marker). Assistant-helps people, mostly only to spread the thread, so that it is not confused when pulled through the fabric.



A detailed study of sutures shows that the robot cope with the operation of an even better person. To check crosslinked intestine connected to the pump and checked how much pressure withstand seams. Robot Seam withstand more pressure.



Seven days after the surgery in guinea pigs is not seen no complications.

Scientific work published May 4, 2016 in the journal Science Translational Medicine (doi: 10.1126 / scitranslmed.aad9398, pdf).

Generally, robots have long been used in surgery, usually for the most accurate operation tiny tools, but the surgeon controls the operation, through the watching monitor. New robot STAR - almost completely autonomous system. It is for such systems automatically repairing the human body - the future of medicine.

The robot will not allow a stupid human errors that occur in surgery, unfortunately, very often.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/275384/