Who were the main speakers?

George Mylonas (Associate Professor in Robotics and Technology in Cancer at Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Bristol), and Tom Vercauteren (Professor of Interventional Image Computing at King's College London).

What real-world medical applications are already in use?

Tom Vercauteren's company, Hypervision Surgical, has developed safe, non-invasive optical imaging for use during surgery, and this technology is already in use in hundreds of hospitals worldwide. Antonia Tzemanaki's group develops robotic simulators and interventions including robotic needle steering and models for surgical treatment of cancers and neurological disorders.

RoboticsAI in HealthcareRobohubJun 26, 2026Jun 26, 2026, 22:00 JST

Medical robots & AI take center stage at London festival debate

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3 Key Points

What happened
A live podcast recording at the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London brought together three leading UK academic researchers—George Mylonas (Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (University of Bristol), and Tom Vercauteren (King's College London)—to discuss robotics and AI in medicine and healthcare, more than 40 years after the first robot-assisted surgery.
Why it matters
As medical tools become increasingly autonomous, the conversation addresses critical questions about ethics, regulation of technologies that can learn and change over time, and fair access to cutting-edge medical devices. These concerns directly shape how hospitals and healthcare systems can safely adopt and deploy new surgical and diagnostic tools.
What to watch
The researchers cover a range of surgical applications—from robotic needle steering and tumor detection to rehabilitation and wearable robotics for physical therapy. Tom Vercauteren's spin-out company, Hypervision Surgical, already has its optical imaging technology in use across hundreds of hospitals worldwide, showing one path from research to clinical practice.

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FAQ

Who were the main speakers?: George Mylonas (Associate Professor in Robotics and Technology in Cancer at Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Bristol), and Tom Vercauteren (Professor of Interventional Image Computing at King's College London).
What real-world medical applications are already in use?: Tom Vercauteren's company, Hypervision Surgical, has developed safe, non-invasive optical imaging for use during surgery, and this technology is already in use in hundreds of hospitals worldwide. Antonia Tzemanaki's group develops robotic simulators and interventions including robotic needle steering and models for surgical treatment of cancers and neurological disorders.

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