Company partners with ARPA-H to advance fully autonomous surgical procedures.
Virtuoso Surgical announced its participation in the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) program to develop autonomous surgical robotics through the Autonomy at a Less Invasive Scale in Surgery (ALISS) initiative. The Nashville-based company is set to collaborate with leading institutions to transform surgery using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
Program Highlights
- Funding: ARPA-H awarded $12 million to support the project.
- Research Team: Led by Robert J. Webster, co-founder and president of Virtuoso Surgical, the program includes experts from Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, University of Tennessee, and University of Utah.
- Deployment: Virtuoso’s robotic system will be installed at three participating research sites for AI development.
Virtuoso Surgical’s Contribution
- Innovative Design:
- Dual manipulators: Two 1mm, needle-sized robotic arms work through a rigid endoscope smaller than half the diameter of a U.S. dime.
- Integrated tools: Includes a camera, laser, electrosurgical instruments, and graspers for precision surgeries.
- AI-Driven Development:
- The system is teleoperated by human surgeons initially, allowing the robot to “shadow” decisions and learn skills.
- Goal: To create a system capable of autonomous tumor removal from the trachea and prostate within three years under simulated conditions.
Future Applications
The research aims to expand to additional procedures, including:
- Uterine fibroid removal.
- Bladder tumor excision.
- Spine and brain surgeries.
Dr. Duke Herrell, Virtuoso’s co-founder and CEO, emphasized:
“Our vision is not to replace surgeons, but to enhance their capabilities and improve patient outcomes globally.”
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