Medical robots & AI take center stage at London festival debate

Key takeaway

• Three leading UK medical robotics researchers convened at a London festival to discuss how AI and robotics are transforming surgery, diagnosis, and rehabilitation—over four decades after robot-assisted surgery began.

• The session tackled major open questions: how to handle ethics and regulation as medical devices grow more autonomous, and how to ensure these advanced technologies reach patients equitably, not just in elite centers.

3 Key Points

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.