Krieger says that automated robotic systems will play a bigger role in surgery as providers rely more heavily in the future on laparoscopic approaches. “Before human testing we will need to improve the system by developing software that can track tissues without the need of physical markers. We will also need to reduce the size of the endoscope to be similar to surgical endoscopes, and finally we will need to improve the user Interface of the robot so that it can be easier supervised by any surgeon.”

Back in August, XACT Robotics announced that its robotics system was the first “hands-free” surgical solution, and had been used in over 100 percutaneous procedures to reach small areas of interest in the abdomen and lung. It used hands-free robotic insertion and steering capabilities to navigate instruments to a desired target in the body.

XACT Robotics’ solution is expected to help with diagnosing and treating certain cancers and other diseases by improving accuracy and consistency so any user can reach targets that are small or in hard-to-reach areas, typically on the first insertion.

Krieger and his team have reached out to the FDA to discuss the appropriate pathway to human testing and will work closely with the agency to develop preclinical testing protocols that demonstrate STAR’s safety and efficacy. “After completing these tests, we will request the FDAs permission to begin limited human trials,” said Krieger.

The findings on STAR were published in Science Robotics.

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