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Why develop an autonomous robot?
Although a great deal of new technology has been
introduced as surgery has evolved from open proce-
dures, to minimally invasive approaches and to teleop-
erated robots, complication rates haven't changed sig-
nificantly. At the end of the day, surgeons operate sur-
gical tools with different skill sets, experience and
training. Our vision is to program a machine that pro-
vides surgeons with access to the best
surgical techniques. We want to make surgery safer by
democratizing it.
How does the technology work?
We built a smart surgical robot that operates beyond the
human visual spectrum and added a degree of artificial
intelligence similar to the technology that operates dri-
verless cars. Integrating near infrared
florescent markers and 3D plenoptic vision gives the
bedside platform an awareness of where target issue is
located in relation to the robot's surgical tools. That's
the novelty.
Can robots really be trusted
to perform delicate surgeries?
Our platform recently performed surgeon-supervised
eady for Autonomous
Surgical Robots?
R
Peter C. Kim, MD
Surgical innovator and developer
of robotic surgery's next big thing.
