---
title: "Surgical Revolution: Surgie Robot Successfully Performs Animal Surgeries Using Standard Tools"
description: "The Surgie robot successfully performed surgeries on animals using standard surgical instruments. Unlike bulky analogues, this device weighs only 27 kg and can move independently. Experts believe such technologies can solve the problem of surgeon shortages in remote areas and even on the battlefield. 🤖🏥"
date: 2026-07-16T00:44:44.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/surgical-revolution-surgie-robot-successfully-performs-animal-surgeries-using-standard-tools
tags: [surgie, jacobs-school-of-engineering, shanglai-lu, da-vinci, robotic-surgery]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Surgical Revolution: Surgie Robot Successfully Performs Animal Surgeries Using Standard Tools

![Surgie surgical robot with standard tools in an operating room, ready for animal surgery](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/16/robot-surgie-uspeshno-provel-operatsii-na-zhivotnykh/robot-surgie-uspeshno-provel-operatsii-na-zhivotnykh-1.webp)

The team from the Jacobs School of Engineering has presented the results of two successful preclinical trials of surgical robots. This new generation of machines is capable of working with standard manual tools traditionally used by human doctors. This is a fundamental difference from existing systems that require specialized manipulators.

### Successful tests on animals

In the first experiment, the robot, in collaboration with a human assistant, removed the gallbladder of a live pig. A veterinarian monitored anesthesia and the animal's general condition, ensuring the safety of the procedure. In the second trial, two robots worked in a pair and performed a similar operation completely autonomously, without any human intervention in the surgical process.

### Mobility vs. Dimensions

Modern surgical robots, such as the more than 1,700 da Vinci systems installed in hospitals around the world, weigh about 817 kg and occupy a significant portion of the operating room. In contrast, the new Surgie robot weighs only 27 kg. The device is equipped with two legs, allowing it to move and opening the prospect of independently navigating the operating room to retrieve necessary tools.

### Solving the staffing crisis

Remotely controlled and autonomous humanoid robots have real potential to expand access to critical surgeries. This could help solve the healthcare crisis not only in the US but worldwide. Many communities face a severe shortage of surgical personnel, and patients do not receive necessary treatment.

Experts suggest deploying such robots in remote areas with difficult staffing situations or in harsh conditions—for example, during search and rescue operations where large-scale field medicine needs to be deployed quickly.

### Technical nuances and prospects

One of the identified issues was signal latency during remote control. Surgeon Shanley Lu noted that a slow pace and the periodic need for recalibration are typical for systems in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, Lu allows that Surgie could easily be deployed anywhere in the future: in rural areas, on the battlefield, and even in space.