Robots operated by humans complete surgeries in proof-of-concept trial

July 9 (UPI) -- A humanoid robot successfully assisted during a laparoscopic surgery for a gall bladder removal, suggesting that robots may serve a purpose in some health care scenarios.

The operation, which involved surgery on non-human primates, could pave the way toward robots assisting with surgeries on human beings, the University of California San Diego said in a news release.

In a study published in the journal Nature, UCSD researchers outlined two surgeries that were performed with the assistance of non-human robotic humanoids on non-primate mammals.

"Remotely operated and autonomous humanoid robots have real potential for amplifying access to critical surgeries to which patients would otherwise not have access," Michael Yip, UC San Diego Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said.

"Our goal is an operating theater of the future, where humanoid robots and humans work side by side as an integrated team to deliver procedures to those in need, both in traditional hospital settings, as well as in non-traditional, field medicine scenarios," Yip said.

The benefit, Shanglei Liu, assistant professor of surgery at UCSD in its School of Medicine, said that using robots for some surgeries could help to curtail costs and staff needed for surgical procedures.

"It's easy to deploy," she said, "anywhere from rural areas, to the battlefield, and even to space," Liu said.

Liu said that one of the research team's goals is to develop autonomous surgical assistants in order to treat people in areas that are difficult to get to.

"One of our goals is to develop the autonomous surgical assistant," Yip said, adding that using robots in places where there are not enough doctors could solve the problem of patients not being treated.

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This story was originally published July 9, 2026 at 9:44 PM.