---
title: "Humanoid robots complete laparoscopic gallbladder removal in pigs, offering translational insights"
id: "nature-1-humanoid-robots-perform-successful-surgery-in-animals"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/nature-1-humanoid-robots-perform-successful-surgery-in-animals"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "General"
source_name: "Nature Medicine"
source_url: "https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00038-y"
published_at: "2026-07-31T10:56:41.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Humanoid robots complete laparoscopic gallbladder removal in pigs, offering translational insights
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/nature-1-humanoid-robots-perform-successful-surgery-in-animals
- **Specialty:** [General](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/general.md)
- **Primary Source:** Nature Medicine
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00038-y)
- **Published At:** 2026-07-31T10:56:41.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- A **humanoid robot** controlled remotely by a human surgeon performed a **laparoscopic gallbladder removal** (cholecystectomy) in pigs, demonstrating feasibility of humanoid platforms in an operative setting. - Traditional surgical robots are purpose-built platforms with robot-specific instruments; humanoid robots instead have human-like morphology that may let them use existing human-designed spaces and tools. - The animal study produced insights relevant to optimizing humanoid systems and assessing their potential for **clinical translation**, though specific technical performance metrics were not reported in the source. - Key unanswered questions include whether humanoid robots achieve the necessary **precision**, **reliability** and **safety** for human surgery; the source notes these remain unclear. - The work is positioned within broader translational and surgical-technology research and follows an in vivo feasibility report referenced by Nature Medicine; full methodological and outcome details are not provided in the highlight. - The study highlights potential practical and accessibility advantages of humanoid robots across diverse clinical settings, while underscoring the need for further development and evaluation before clinical deployment. - The Nature Medicine research highlight cites an associated in vivo feasibility study and situates the finding within topics of Surgery, Technology and Translational research.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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[nature](https://www.nature.com/) 2. [nature medicine](https://www.nature.com/nm) 3. [research highlights](https://www.nature.com/nm/articles?type=research-highlight) 4. article * RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT * 31 July 2026 # **Humanoid robots perform successful surgery in animals** A humanoid robot, controlled remotely by a human surgeon, performed laparoscopic gallbladder removal in pigs — which revealed key insights for future optimization and clinical translation. By * [ Karen O’Leary](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00038-y#author-0)[0](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00038-y#Aff0) 1. Karen O’Leary 1. Karen O’Leary is an Associate Research Analysis Editor with Nature Medicine. [View author publications](https://www.nature.com/search?author=Karen+O%E2%80%99Leary) Search author on: [PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=search&term=Karen+O%E2%80%99Leary) [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?as_q=&btnG=Search+Scholar&as_sauthors=%22Karen%2BO%E2%80%99Leary%22) * Email * [ Bluesky ](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) * [ Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y&t=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals) * [ LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?text=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) * [ Reddit ](https://www.reddit.com/submit?title=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) * [ Whatsapp ](https://wa.me/?text=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) * [ X ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Humanoid+robots+perform+successful+surgery+in+animals&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) Robotic systems are widely used in surgery and usually consist of purpose-built platforms that use robot-specific instruments. Humanoid robots, on the other hand, are designed with human-like morphology and are increasingly capable of navigating spaces and tools designed for human use. This could enhance their practicality and accessibility across diverse clinical settings; however, it is unclear whether they possess the necessary precision, reliability and safety required for surgery. ## Access options [ Access through your institution ](https://wayf.springernature.com?redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription 27,99 € / 30 days cancel any time [Learn more](https://shop.nature.com/products/plus/?region=ROW) Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access 251,40 € per year only 20,95 € per issue [Learn more](https://www.nature.com/nm/subscribe) Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 [Learn more](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41591-026-00038-y.epdf?no_publisher_access=1&r3_referer=nature) Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ### Additional access options: * [Log in](https://idp.nature.com/authorize/natureuser?client_id=grover&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fd41591-026-00038-y) * [Learn about institutional subscriptions](https://www.springernature.com/gp/librarians/licensing/license-options) * [Read our FAQs](https://support.nature.com/en/support/home) * [Contact customer support](https://www.springernature.com/gp/contact) _doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41591-026-00038-y_ ## 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