The research team of Johns Hopkins University in the United States published a paper in science robotics on the 26th. It said that the intelligent organization autonomous robot star designed by it carried out laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of pigs without human guidance, which is an important step towards the robot finally implementing fully automatic surgery on the human body. Senior author Axel Craig, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University School of engineering, said the results showed that star could autonomously perform one of the most complex and delicate tasks in surgery: reconnecting the two ends of the intestine. Star operated on four animals, and the results were significantly better than those of similar operations. The robot is good at intestinal anastomosis, which requires a high level of repetitive movement and accuracy. Connecting the two ends of the intestine can be said to be the most challenging step in gastrointestinal surgery, which requires the surgeon to suture with high precision and consistency. Even the slightest hand tremor or dislocation of suture can lead to leakage, which can lead to disastrous complications for patients. The researchers said that star is actually a visual guidance system specially used for suturing soft tissue. The team has equipped star with new functions to enhance autonomy and improve surgical accuracy, including special suturing tools and the most advanced imaging system, so as to provide more accurate visualization of surgical area. Craig says soft tissue surgery is particularly difficult for robots because its unpredictability forces them to adapt quickly to unexpected obstacles. Star has a novel control system that can adjust the operation plan in real time like a human surgeon. Star is special in that it is the first robot system to plan, adjust and execute soft tissue surgery plan with minimal manual intervention. Researchers have developed a three-dimensional endoscope based on structured light and a tracking algorithm based on machine learning to guide star. They said that as more laparoscopic surgery methods emerge in the medical field, it will be very important to have an autonomous robot system designed for such surgery to help. Do patients or family members dare to try to keep human doctors away from the operating table or even no longer guide and operate equipment, but let robots complete an operation independently? In fact, robot doctors have better vision, accuracy and stability than humans. Moreover, it is predicted that in the future, most of the "operation executives" in the hospital will be replaced by robots in order to reduce the risk of surgery to a lower level. Human doctors can have more energy to analyze the condition and provide more efficient and safe treatment for patients. (Xinhua News Agency)