The American company Intuitive Surgical, the creator of the famous surgical robot Da Vinci, has introduced the fifth version of its system with a revolutionary function — a real analysis of the surgeon's actions. Now the robot not only helps to carry out operations, but also gives advice in the process, like a perky GPS navigator in the world of medicine. "Turn left onto the aorta," may soon be exactly the kind of prompts a surgeon will hear during a complex operation.

The new system analyzes more than 250 indicators in real time, from the force of pressing the instruments to the speed of the surgeon's movements. If the system notices a "deviation from optimal technique," it will politely suggest alternative options. I wonder if the "silence, I'm going to overtake" mode is provided for particularly confident doctors?

The developers paid special attention to "increasing the surgeon's awareness of tissues." The robot can now measure tissue density and warn if the surgeon treats the patient too roughly. This is a kind of analogue of the emergency braking system in cars, only instead of a pedestrian, the liver or kidney is saved.

Interestingly, all the data is recorded for subsequent analysis, presumably so that surgeons can review their mistakes later, like football players reviewing missed goals. Perhaps surgical "transfer windows" will appear soon, when clinics will exchange records of operations marked “here it was necessary to cut to the left.”

The cost of the innovations remains a trade secret, but considering that previous versions cost about $ 2 million, it can be assumed that you will have to pay extra for the opportunity to receive advice from the robot as for a premium subscription. Although, if you think about it, it's still cheaper than paying for medical insurance in case of an error.
 

Critics are already wondering if the operating room will turn into a kind of exam room, where the surgeon is constantly nervous about the system's grades. And what is more important — the creative approach of an experienced doctor or the soulless accuracy of the algorithm?

However, the developers claim that the system does not replace the surgeon, but only provides additional information. Although, given the trends, I wouldn't be surprised if in the sixth version the robot itself would make remarks to the patient: "Next time, eat less fried food, otherwise I had to spend 15 minutes more on you."