LapSurgie: Humanoid Robots Performing Surgery via Teleoperated Handheld Laparoscopy

2025-10-03

AI Summary

Current surgical robots are predominantly deployed in resource-rich settings, exacerbating disparities in healthcare access for基层 and remote regions. To address this, we propose the first humanoid-robot-based laparoscopic teleoperation framework that operates without modifying commercial laparoscopic instruments. Our method employs an inverse-mapping strategy to satisfy the remote center of motion constraint, enabling precise control of handheld laparoscopic tools; it further integrates real-time stereo vision feedback and wrist-mounted instrument manipulation to ensure safety and intuitive operation. Experimental validation across multiple platforms demonstrates that the humanoid robot stably executes canonical laparoscopic maneuvers, providing preliminary evidence of feasibility in real minimally invasive surgical scenarios. This work represents the first integration of general-purpose humanoid robots into clinical teleoperated surgery, establishing a novel paradigm for flexible, low-cost deployment of surgical robotics in resource-constrained environments.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Manipulation
• Natural Language Processing: Safety and Robustness
• Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine Teams

Application Category

• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Experiences and lessons learnt from Web-based algorithms and system deployments
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Economic ramifications for generative AI infrastructure and applications

Abstract

Robotic laparoscopic surgery has gained increasing attention in recent years for its potential to deliver more efficient and precise minimally invasive procedures. However, adoption of surgical robotic platforms remains largely confined to high-resource medical centers, exacerbating healthcare disparities in rural and low-resource regions. To close this gap, a range of solutions has been explored, from remote mentorship to fully remote telesurgery. Yet, the practical deployment of surgical robotic systems to underserved communities remains an unsolved challenge. Humanoid systems offer a promising path toward deployability, as they can directly operate in environments designed for humans without extensive infrastructure modifications -- including operating rooms. In this work, we introduce LapSurgie, the first humanoid-robot-based laparoscopic teleoperation framework. The system leverages an inverse-mapping strategy for manual-wristed laparoscopic instruments that abides to remote center-of-motion constraints, enabling precise hand-to-tool control of off-the-shelf surgical laparoscopic tools without additional setup requirements. A control console equipped with a stereo vision system provides real-time visual feedback. Finally, a comprehensive user study across platforms demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed framework and provides initial evidence for the feasibility of deploying humanoid robots in laparoscopic procedures.

Problem

• Addressing limited surgical robot access in rural areas
• Developing humanoid robots for teleoperated laparoscopic surgery
• Enabling precise control of standard laparoscopic instruments

Innovation

• Humanoid robots enable teleoperated laparoscopic surgery
• Inverse mapping controls standard tools with motion constraints
• Stereo vision console provides real-time surgical feedback