Robot surgeon performs first soft-tissue operation by itself

And on Wednesday, scientists reported that the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot could stitch together separate pieces of the bowel in pigs, the first time a surgical robot has completed a portion of an operation in living soft tissue without human guidance. The new paper, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, amounts to what's known as a proof of concept -- a demonstration that the new advance appears to be possible. Outside experts described it as a key achievement in efforts to move toward autonomous robotic surgery, but noted the technology is years away from being used in operating rooms, or even in a clinical trial. "It's one step forward," said Dr. Dragan Golijanin, director of the Minimally Invasive Urology Institute at the Miriam Hospital, an affiliate of Brown University, who was not involved in the research. Surgeons use robots in operating theaters around the country, but as it stands, they guide them like a puppeteer directs a marionette, conducting every move and response.