Humanoid Robots Complete Gallbladder Surgery on Pig at UCSD

Humanoid robots cross new threshold in surgical applications

Researchers at UC San Diego have successfully demonstrated humanoid robots performing gallbladder removal surgery on a pig, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of robotic-assisted medical procedures. The team, led by UCSD Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Michael Yip, used modified Unitree G1 humanoid robots controlled remotely by surgeons Drs. Ryan Broderick and Shanglei Liu.

The cholecystectomy procedures took place with surgeons operating the robots via joystick controls similar to existing surgical robot systems, but with a crucial difference: the robots themselves were humanoid in form rather than purpose-built surgical machines. The G1 units received hardware modifications to their end effectors for better tool manipulation and software updates enabling sub-millimeter precision.

Two experimental configurations were tested. In the first, a tele-operated G1 worked alongside a human surgical assistant. In the second, two remotely controlled robots performed the procedure together, with one serving as assistant to the other. The first surgery took 55 minutes; the second required just 30 minutes as the surgical team gained proficiency.

Why it matters

This demonstration suggests humanoid robots could serve as general-purpose surgical platforms in operating rooms, complementing rather than replacing specialized systems like Intuitive's da Vinci. For healthcare systems, this could mean more flexible surgical capacity without investing in multiple specialized robotic systems for different procedures. The approach also opens possibilities for remote surgery in underserved areas and complete robot sterilization between procedures—something impossible with human surgical teams.

Surgeons report natural interaction

According to Yip, a breakthrough moment occurred when the humanoid robots essentially became transparent to their operators. "There was a moment in even the first surgery where they were working through a humanoid robot. It just felt natural to them," Yip said. This intuitive control suggests the technology could integrate into existing surgical workflows without extensive retraining.

The research team handled sterilization simply by wiping the robots with rubbing alcohol in this controlled environment. Yip noted that future implementations could use gas or aerosol decontamination processes impossible with human staff.

Parallels to industrial automation

Yip draws explicit comparisons between surgical and industrial applications of humanoid robots. Just as factories may deploy both specialized machines and general-purpose humanoids, operating rooms could follow a similar hybrid model. "Those systems may be better at very specific tasks, but in a general surgery case where you're trying to maximize the number of cases you do and every sub-millimeter precision may not actually result in a patient outcome difference, the humanoid platform makes a lot of sense," Yip explained.

The next research phase will focus on human-robot interaction dynamics. Yip envisions operating rooms where humanoid robots and human surgeons work together seamlessly, requiring new protocols for visual cues, communication, and coordinated movement during procedures.

These details were first reported by Brian Heater for the Association for Advancing Automation.