The future of surgery just scrubbed in. In a groundbreaking medical first, robots designed to move and function like humans have performed surgery on a live patient, successfully completing two laparoscopic gallbladder removals. The breakthrough offers a peek at a future where these advanced machines could help bridge gaps in healthcare — easing surgeon shortages, lending doctors a high-tech hand in the operating room and expanding access to lifesaving procedures in underserved areas. Humanoid robots remotely controlled by surgeons could one day help ease shortages and boost access to care. Flickr/jsoe “This study shows that humanoid robots have a viable future in the field of surgery,” Michael Yip, a faculty member at the University of California San Diego and one of the paper’s senior au