Why robots don't do open heart surgery - and what could be done about it

Topic: Why robots don't do open heart surgery - and what could be done about it

When: 24 April at 12.00-13.15

Where: Online

Speaker: Maj Stenmark, Computer Science, Lund University

Spoken language: English

Abstract

Lund University and Children’s Heart Center has a collaboration with a clear vision: in 20 years, there should be a robotic surgeon in the operating room. Remote controlled surgical robots have been used for decades in minimally invasive surgeries, but autonomous medical robots are new and still used only in experimental settings. There are many challenges, primarily technical, but also social and legal. Technical challenges include perception, e.g., recognizing tissue and vessels, and human robot interaction during surgery. The healthcare sector has a low degree of automation, and new technology and methods must be introduced carefully. Legally, there are strict regulations, from ethical approval of research to CE-certification of medtech products. Our current research focus on object recognition in video data from heart surgeries and handover scenarios using a robotic scrub nurse. There is a test bed at the Tissue Bank for robotic experiments.