Sony has unveiled an ultra-precise microsurgical robot that can make a small cut in a kernel of corn and sew it back together. The robot can also automatically switch between different instruments.
Microsurgery refers to surgical procedures performed on very small human tissues using a surgical microscope and other instruments. Such operations require a high level of skill and can only be performed by a limited number of doctors and facilities. Sony has unveiled a surgical assistance robot to make this advanced surgery more accessible to both those who perform it and those who need it.
Sony’s robot for surgeons
The robotic system essentially consists of a tabletop console operated by the surgeon and a robot that performs procedures on the patient. The movements of the surgeon’s hands on the console are replicated by the robot, but much more precisely. According to Sony, this motion scaling technique allows surgeons to perform precise operations beyond their physical limitations.
Sony also says that its robot is the first of its kind to automatically switch between different instruments and has been successfully tested in animal surgery. Sony emphasizes that its robot is designed to help surgeons in the field of super microsurgery, which focuses on extremely small blood vessels and nerves with diameters well below 1 mm. This kind of surgery requires incredible precision and steady hands. Specialists in this field usually do their work by looking through a microscope.
On the other hand, robots that assist doctors in this medical field have already been around for some time. They are not fully autonomous AI-powered robots. They are merely teleoperation tools that allow surgeons to magnify their vision while reducing hand movements, but they open up new possibilities in surgery.
Sony’s prototype robot is equipped with 4K Micro OLED displays and a stereoscopic 4K 3D camera system. This system provides a real-time image to the surgeon. Sony is also testing the robot with doctors. Dr. Hisako Hara and Dr. Makoto Mihara seem to be quite impressed with the robot, at least according to Sony’s press release. The doctors emphasize that the robot behaves very naturally and in harmony with its own movements.
