Samsung Hospital Unveils Humanoid Surgical Assistant Robot

"Hand me the scissors." The humanoid robot standing next to the operating table began to move in response to the medical staff's voice command. After scanning the tray with surgical tools using its camera, the robot picked up the scissors. It took less than two seconds from the time the doctor's command was given to when the robot started its action.

On the afternoon of September 16, at the Samsung Life Insurance building in Gangnam, Seoul, Samsung Medical Center publicly unveiled its humanoid surgical assistant robot, which is currently under development, in a setting that closely resembles an actual operating room.

The event showcased various scenarios, including three robots performing surgical tasks via remote control, a surgeon operating with the assistance of two robots, and participants trying out a multi-jointed robotic hand that moves like a human hand.

In a simulated gallbladder removal surgery involving one surgeon and three robots, goat liver was used instead of a real patient or live animal. A large screen displayed the organ tissue illuminated by a laparoscopic camera and the movements of the robotic arms in real-time.

The robot assisted in pulling the surgical site to ensure visibility and confirmed the location where the gallbladder duct and blood vessels could be distinguished from surrounding tissue. It then demonstrated a key step in the gallbladder removal process by securing the gallbladder duct and blood vessels with clips before cutting. The robot effectively performed the role of a surgical assistant by handing tools to the medical staff, holding the endoscopic camera, and applying consistent force to pull tissue, thereby completing the cycle of "request – delivery – use – retrieval – organization" to minimize interruptions in the surgical flow and allow the medical staff to focus on critical procedures.

Samsung Medical Center highlighted the collaboration between medical staff and multiple humanoid robots as a distinguishing feature of this demonstration. They explained that they utilized both remotely controlled robots and AI-controlled surgical assistant robots.

Professor Jeong Yong-ki, the lead researcher and an otolaryngology specialist, assessed Korea's robotic technology as being "globally advanced," stating, "We have a favorable environment for advancing related research, with skilled medical personnel, robot development companies, and AI researchers all present in the country."

He clarified the differences from existing surgical robots like the Da Vinci system, noting that while Da Vinci is a specialized robot designed for surgical procedures, the humanoid robot used in this research focuses on versatility and scalability, performing various tasks depending on the tools and control methods attached to its arms.

Professor Jeong added, "With a multi-jointed robotic hand, we can handle tools more stably even in situations where they are difficult to grasp or overlapping."

The roles of the surgical robot are categorized into three main functions: preparing and delivering surgical instruments (OR-Scrub), holding the endoscope and pulling tissue to ensure visibility (OR-Scope), and directly moving surgical instruments when operated remotely by the surgeon (OR-TeleOp). Professor Jeong stated, "In the future, we may see a setup in operating rooms where surgeons work alongside multiple robots."

The core technologies of the robot include Remote Center of Motion (RCM), which maintains a consistent insertion point for instruments; visual servoing, which automatically corrects movements by tracking targets with a camera; and voice recognition (AI), which connects the doctor's verbal commands to actions.

According to Samsung Medical Center, laboratory evaluations showed that both voice command recognition and action success rates exceeded the target of 95%. The success rate for handling five types of surgical tools was 100%, and the delivery success rate was 98.7%. The time taken to start actions after command recognition was within two seconds, with a final goal of achieving this within one second.

Safety features are also in place, including emergency stop voice commands and dedicated pedals and buttons. In the event of an emergency stop, the robot immediately halts and retracts, with its joints loosening so that medical staff can push it away. However, discussions regarding liability for robot malfunctions and medical disputes are still ongoing. Professor Jeong noted, "This is an important issue, but the technology is not yet mature enough for extensive discussions."

Addressing variables that arise during actual surgeries, such as bleeding, surgery delays, and anatomical differences among patients, remains a challenge for future development. High-difficulty procedures like incisions and suturing are still in the research phase.

Samsung Medical Center plans to conduct its first clinical trials in 2029, targeting gallbladder and pituitary tumor surgeries across four hospitals. The plan is to gradually expand the scope of application, starting with lower-risk auxiliary tasks such as maintaining endoscopic visibility and adjusting positions during laparoscopic surgeries.

Regarding the timeline for applying the technology to actual patient surgeries, they stated, "The timing will vary depending on the roles assigned to the robots." The hospital believes it may be possible to consider clinical applications for roles such as holding the endoscope and adjusting its position during surgery.

The ultimate goal outlined by Samsung Medical Center is to "alleviate the medical workforce shortage." By assigning repetitive tasks to robots, medical staff can concentrate on critical procedures, thereby filling gaps in rural and nighttime emergency situations where personnel are scarce. Professor Jeong stated, "We aim to provide a certain level of surgical assistance even in areas with a shortage of personnel, such as rural hospitals or nighttime emergency surgeries."

Recent comments by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, suggesting that "robots will surpass human doctors within three years" have sparked discussions, with some experts noting that there is merit to the claim. A joint research team from Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University previously demonstrated autonomous surgery using the Da Vinci robot on excised pig gallbladders, as reported in Science Robotics. However, there are concerns about the gap between such experiments and actual clinical applications, as they do not involve live animals.

This project began after Samsung Medical Center was selected as the lead institution for Korea's ARPA-H in July of last year. It will run for 54 months until December 2029, with a total government-supported research and development budget of approximately 13.835 billion won.

Samsung Medical Center is responsible for defining clinical requirements and conducting validations. Rainbow Robotics is developing the robot's main body, while AIDIN Robotics is in charge of the gripper and robotic hand development. Sungkyunkwan University and Seoul National University are participating in AI software development, and the National Cancer Center and Jeonbuk National University Hospital are responsible for data collection and validation.