A robot developed by a team of Johns Hopkins University has performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without any human intervention, taking a massive leap towards in the field of medical robotics.?
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The robot is named STAR -- Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot -- a vision-guided system that¡¯s designed specifically for suturing soft tissue. There exist suturing robots today that are capable of repairing a pig¡¯s intestines accurately but they need a large incision to access it as well as considerable human intervention.?
STAR however comes featuring better autonomy as well as surgical precision including specialised suturing tools and a state-of-the-art imaging system that offers a more accurate visualisation of the surgical area.
Soft tissue surgery is challenging for robots due to its unpredictability, forcing them to adapt to unforeseen hurdles. STAR however comes with a newly developed control system that can adjust the surgical plan in real-time, similar to that of a skilled human surgeon.
It¡¯s based on a structural light-based three-dimensional endoscope and machine learning-based tracking algorithm that guides the robot. According to researchers, this makes it smarter and safer.?
The robot has shown excellence in intestinal anastomosis -- a procedure that requires a high level of repetitive motion and precision. Connecting the two ends of an intestine is one of the most challenging steps in gastrointestinal surgery which requires immense accuracy and consistency. Even a little slip could cause catastrophe for the patient.?
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Senior author Axel Krieger, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins' Whiting School of Engineering explained, "Robotic anastomosis is one way to ensure that surgical tasks that require high precision and repeatability can be performed with more accuracy and precision in every patient independent of surgeon skill.¡±
He added, ¡°We hypothesise that this will result in a democratised surgical approach to patient care with more predictable and consistent patient outcomes."?
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