A voice-controlled AI assistant has been designed to support surgeons in real time during robotic surgery.
The system monitors the procedure and combines different AI models that analyse information and make it available in the operating room.
The technology was presented as a world first during the Surgical AI & Telesurgery Days in Ghent, reports the Belga News Agency.
The AI co-pilot was developed within Mantyx, a spin-off of Orsi Academy, and works as a voice-controlled assistant that continuously provides relevant information.
During an operation, surgeons can use voice commands to call up medical images, navigate through scans or request additional context without leaving their position at the surgical robot.
The system also comprehends the procedure’s context and automatically chooses the correct images, such as displaying the exact location of a tumour.
Dr Pieter De Backer is a Belgian engineer-turned-physician who leads the Orsi Innotech and Surgical AI activities at ORSI Academy, where he develops AI, augmented-reality and patient-specific 3D modelling tools to improve minimally invasive and robotic surgery.
He initially trained as an electromechanical and biomedical engineer, then obtained his medical degree and completed PhD work on AI in robotic surgery; he is also finishing surgical (urology) residency training.
He said: ‘We bring all the information together and make it immediately available in the operating theatre, so that the surgeon has to search less or think less about where the information is.’
The technology constantly monitors the operation and identifies the current phase the surgeon is in. Based on this, it can present relevant information at the appropriate time.
‘It’s not a dumb assistant that just performs tasks, but a system that understands context,’ De Backer added.
Besides supporting during the procedure, the technology offers tangible benefits for hospitals. The AI can automatically estimate how much longer an operation will take, allowing for more efficient planning of operating theatres and improved communication of waiting times to patients and staff.
As such, it has been described as ‘an assistant, not a replacement for the surgeon’.
For now, the AI co-pilot does not make any medical decisions that directly impact the patient.
The technology is regarded as a crucial step towards further integrating artificial intelligence into operating theatres. Additional validation and certification should facilitate broader clinical adoption.
