Federal program solicits autonomous robotic surgery technology proposals

Editor's Note

The US government has launched a new Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program to develop autonomous robotic systems that can improve access to remote surgical interventions for thrombectomy in stroke patients and other time-sensitive procedures that not every patient has adequate and immediate access to, according to a November 20 news release from Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Through an Innovative Solutions Opening solicitation, the new federal AIR program invites proposals from organizations with expertise spanning surgical care, health care, medical imaging, medical devices, robotics, and artificial intelligence, including small and large businesses, academic and scientific research institutions, and small and large hospitals, per the release

The rationale described for the new program is to reduce treatment delays, which can negatively impact patient health and outcomes, as well as require missed work and patient expense to travel long distances for care. Costs to healthcare systems due to treatment delays was also noted in the news release, which cited added costs of $10,000 per 10 minutes of delayed care. The aim with AIR technology development is to allow all Americans to receive less invasive and more affordable treatments anywhere in the U.S., not just in highly specialized medical centers.

In addition to supporting the development of large-scale robotic systems, the funding was also described to accelerate the development of microbots—very small, mechanical, electronic, or hybrid devices that can perform a wide variety of procedures independently, less invasively, and without the need for specialized equipment.

In related news, investigators from the University of Dundee in Scotland recently reported on a successful remote thrombectomy using a surgical robot on a human cadaver.