In a world with mind controlled drones and molecular food scanners, a robot surgeon may not sound as far-fetched as it once would have. However, this is still a little daunting to read:
Comparing STAR’s work with that of experienced surgeons operating both with and without the assistance of existing robotic tools, Dr Kim and his colleagues reckoned STAR’s stitches were more evenly spaced and the sutured gut less leaky … For now, STAR remains a tool rather than a truly autonomous agent. But such autonomy is probably not far away.
This is yet another step towards turning the real world into a sci-fi flick and we couldn’t be more excited. If the brains behind this project can figure out how to build these robots frugally, then they could bring cheap, effective surgery to impoverished nations around the world.