Students have utilised an AI-powered system, originally created to monitor cafeteria utensils, to improve robotic surgeries.
The student engineering project, which initially utilised AI to track cafeteria forks, evolved into a system that will assist Orlando Health surgeons in performing robotic surgeries more efficiently.
The aim is to minimise waste, streamline surgical workflows and encourage sustainability in the operating room.
The technology developed as part of the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Senior Design capstone course now supports improved intraoperative resource management at Orlando Health in the US.
The AI for Medical Surgery (AIMS) system emerged from a collaboration between UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science and Orlando Health’s robotic surgery programme.
AIMS evolved into a clinically validated tool through mentorship from UCF biomedical engineer Laura Brattain and hands-on testing with surgical teams at Orlando Health.
Dr Alexis Sanchez, director of robotic surgery at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Centre, said: ‘We work in a very fast-paced environment, so having this to be able to detect waste has incredible potential to improve both efficiency and sustainability. This is just the beginning. And this collaboration underscores both Orlando Health and UCF’s commitment to innovation to improve healthcare for our community.’
During robotic procedures, surgical staples are often opened pre-emptively and discarded if unused, leading to unnecessary waste.
The AIMS system utilises AI and a camera interface to monitor and record the number of staples brought into the OR and determine which are actually deployed.
This information enables surgical teams to more accurately estimate supply needs and prevent the unnecessary opening of sterile tools.
The students tested and refined the software under real surgical conditions at ORMC. Early challenges included low-light environments and occlusion of the camera view – factors that were addressed through iterative design and continuous feedback from Sanchez and his team.
Laura Brattain said: ‘We are thankful that Dr Sanchez and his team provided the students with the opportunities to test AIMS in real-world scenarios where a regular robotic procedure is happening in the operating room and the medical team is moving around as usual. You can’t imagine these things in a classroom. Students need to see their science through a medical provider’s eyes.’
Brattain, an associate professor at UCF’s College of Medicine and a faculty member of the UCF AI Initiative, is focused on integrating biomedical AI, surgical robotics, and ultrasound to drive meaningful healthcare innovation.
She said: ‘I wanted the students to know that while they can all create a computer program, they can also make an impact in healthcare. To avoid developing technologies that end up collecting dust on the shelf, we should work with clinical experts to solve problems that can ultimately improve the care of patients.’
As part of further cross-disciplinary training, Brattain introduced a new course in medical robotics – the first of its kind offered at UCF in over a decade – providing engineering students with hands-on exposure to surgical technologies and hospital robotics platforms, such as the Da Vinci system.
