Chinese Robot Autonomously Performs Pig Surgery with AI Model
- tech360.tv
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
A robot developed by a Chinese organisation successfully performed biliary surgery on a 30-kilogram pig, autonomously completing the procedure using an artificial intelligence model. The experiment, conducted by Shanghai MicroPort MedBot, took place on Dec. 24.
The company stated in a post that its Toumai robot, powered by the proprietary Neuron multimodal surgical model, carried out the operation. The MedBot autonomously performed core surgical procedures, including bile duct clamping and cutting.
The robot completed 88% of the steps on its initial attempt, followed by real-time adjustments and corrections to finish the surgery. The Neuron AI model, described as the robot’s "brain," is a multimodal action generation model.
This model was trained on 3 billion parameters, including 23,000 surgical video clips. It enabled the surgical robot to simulate senior surgeons' clinical decision-making and optimise surgical strategies based on intraoperative imagery and instrument status.
The experiment marked the first worldwide instance of fully autonomous robotic surgery, signifying a considerable leap from human tele-operations via remote control. Brian Chang, chief medical officer at MedBot, stated, “This milestone shows how large-model artificial intelligence can serve as a powerful tool to support surgeons, improving precision and consistency under expert clinical supervision.”
MedBot emphasised that human surgeons fully supervised the surgery and could have taken over at any time. The organisation also noted that the demonstration does not constitute direct evidence of the system’s safety or efficacy in human clinical applications.
The company cautioned that the results should not be directly extrapolated to human surgical practice. Furthermore, the system has not received regulatory approval for autonomous human surgery in any country or region and has not entered clinical trials involving human subjects.
Shares of Hong Kong-listed MedBot closed down nearly 2% at HK$25.68 on Wednesday. This experiment highlights the tech industry’s pursuit of pioneering AI applications in medical care, from Intuitive Surgical’s Da Vinci system to Chinese tech giants.
Alibaba Group Holding unveiled what it described as the world’s first AI model to detect gastric cancer, even in early stages, in June 2025. This occurred two months after its AI tool for screening pancreatic cancer secured "breakthrough device" designation from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Separately, Tencent Holdings has developed the Aimis medical imaging platform. This platform focuses on cloud-based scientific research and the management of digital medical images.
A Chinese robot successfully performed autonomous biliary surgery on a 30-kilogram pig.
The Toumai robot, developed by Shanghai MicroPort MedBot, used its Neuron AI model for the procedure.
The robot completed 88% of surgical steps on its first attempt, with subsequent real-time adjustments.
Source: SCMP
