Unitree's G1 humanoid robot from China has recently successfully performed the world's first live surgery overseas. A research team at UC San Diego used two Unitree G1 robots in preclinical trials to complete two live cholecystectomy surgeries on large non-primate animals. The findings were published in the top international academic journal Nature on July 8.
The experiment marked the first validation of the feasibility of humanoid robots and dual-robot collaboration in surgical procedures. Both robots were teleoperated by surgeons via a console using standard hospital laparoscopic instruments. One surgery was performed by a single robot working with a surgeon; the other was completed entirely by two robots working together.
Compared with large dedicated surgical robots currently in widespread hospital use, the Unitree G1 offers significant advantages in compact size and lower deployment costs without requiring extensive operating room retrofitting. However, the technology remains at an early validation stage, with longer surgery times and control latency issues requiring further optimization.
