Medical Robotics

Can Robots Make Surgery More Precise?

October 18, 2026

How robotic systems are improving surgical precision and control—and what still limits their role in the operating room.

Introduction

Robotic surgery is an evolution of minimally invasive surgery that combines medical science and robotics. It combines medicine, robotics, and engineering so surgeons can move more precisely during complex procedures and in tiny spaces inside the body (1). It has transformed urology and now shows up in general surgery, ear, nose, and throat surgery (1). The marketing is great, but does the extra precision actually improve patient recovery?

Key Terms — click to expand

Urology: Urology is the branch of medicine focused on the surgical and medical diseases of the urinary tract system and the male reproductive organs.

Laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis: A minimally invasive surgical procedure where two sections of the intestine are reconnected inside the abdomen using small incisions, a camera (laparoscope), and specialized surgical tools or staplers.

Laparoscopy: A type of minimally invasive surgery where the surgeon works through small cuts in the abdomen using a camera and thin instruments.

Scientific Background

Medical robots have been around for longer than you think. Robotics has been developing since the 1960s and has come a long way since. Now, robot assisted surgery beats conventional methods by being more precise and safe (2). For a long time, the da Vinci system dominated the field. Now with newer robotic platforms, surgeons have to learn to adapt to each one (3). Some systems are even moving past assisting. One review used autonomous dental implant robots as its main example of where medical robotics is headed (2).

Current Research

Robots that work on their own.

In 2022, researchers reported a robot called STAR (Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot) that performed laparoscopic intestinal anastomosis, which means reconnecting two ends of the intestine in live pigs (4). However, soft tissue is tricky for robots because it's unpredictable, and STAR was described as the first robotic system to plan, adapt, and carry out a surgical plan in soft tissue with little human help (4). The senior author said that across four animals, it got significantly better results than humans doing the same procedure (4). STAR's performance looks great on paper, but it is hard not to wonder whether a programmed machine can actually handle real human surgery and other complications.

Precision versus Proof

Being precise only matters if it changes how patients do, a JAMA Surgery study looked at more than one million emergency general surgery procedures and found that robotic use rose noticeably each year between 2013 and 2021 for emergency colon surgery, inguinal hernia repair and ventral hernia repair (5). Compared with laparoscopy, robotic surgery was linked to a lower risk of switching to open surgery and shorter hospital stays (5). But it's important to note that robotic surgery is rarely used for emergencies, and better results do not automatically prove that the robot caused them (5).

Breast removal surgery faces the same debate. Keeping the original skin gives better cosmetic results while staying safe for early cancer but requires a lot of surgical skill and leaves obvious scars (6). While robotic versions of this surgery are gaining support, experts point out the four big concerns; expensive costs, whether it actually cures the cancer, finding highly trained surgeons and the lack of standard rules for the procedure (6).

Analysis: What it Means

Put together, "robots are more precise" isn't specific enough. Just because a robot succeeds in a controlled lab test (4) doesn't mean it can handle real-life emergencies in a hospital (5). More importantly, successful lab tests do not solve the massive issues currently holding back automated breast surgery (6) like high prices, cancer cure rates, and skilled surgeons. Precision also doesn't have to come from a robot. Hardy and Cahill describe "digital surgery", which uses real-time analytics during operations and doesn't require a big investment in high end robots (7). So, a better question could be, which tools add precision where it matters, at a reasonable price for hospitals?

Future Directions

Looking ahead, researchers expect AI-Driven automation and nanobots to play a role in robotic surgery (3). Digital surgery tools that analyze an operation in real time are growing too, and their authors are open to moral, ethical and legal questions, including what this means for the clinician's role (7).

Conclusion

Looking at the big picture, the pig study proves that autonomous robots are capable of incredible precision. However, high costs and other concerns are still a major challenge. The data makes it clear that robotic surgery has a lot to offer, but it is not a perfect fix for every medical situation.

References

  1. Rivero-Moreno Y, Echevarria S, Vidal-Valderrama C, Pianetti L, Cordova-Guilarte J, Navarro-Gonzalez J, et al. Robotic surgery: a comprehensive review of the literature and current trends. Cureus. 2023;15(7):e42370. doi:10.7759/cureus.42370
  2. Liu C, Liu Y, Xie R, Li Z, Bai S, Zhao Y. The evolution of robotics: research and application progress of dental implant robotic systems. Int J Oral Sci. 2024;16(1):28. doi:10.1038/s41368-024-00296-x
  3. Chatterjee S, Das S, Ganguly K, Mandal D. Advancements in robotic surgery: innovations, challenges and future prospects. J Robot Surg. 2024;18(1):28. doi:10.1007/s11701-023-01801-w
  4. Saeidi H, Opfermann JD, Kam M, Wei S, Leonard S, Hsieh MH, et al. Autonomous robotic laparoscopic surgery for intestinal anastomosis. Sci Robot. 2022;7(62):eabj2908. doi:10.1126/scirobotics.abj2908
  5. Lunardi N, Abou-Zamzam A, Florecki KL, Chidambaram S, Shih IF, Kent AJ, et al. Robotic technology in emergency general surgery cases in the era of minimally invasive surgery. JAMA Surg. 2024;159(5):493-499. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2024.0016
  6. Kim JH, Toesca A, Pozzi G, Gazzetta G, Marrazzo E, Park HS. Controversies and strengths of robot-assisted mastectomy. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2023;32(4):388-390. doi:10.1097/CEJ.0000000000000812
  7. Hardy NP, Cahill RA. Digital surgery for gastroenterological diseases. World J Gastroenterol. 2021;27(42):7240-7246. doi:10.3748/wjg.v27.i42.7240