3 ms·

I don't think you'll see fully automated surgery soon because most ML algorithms can too easily be fooled by unusual sensor data or unexpected states -- and the

by daveguy 11y ago

I don't think you'll see fully automated surgery soon because most ML algorithms can too easily be fooled by unusual sensor data or unexpected states -- and these are very much AGI problems as well. Those algorithms are no where near the reliability levels required for approval as medical devices. We will have advanced assist-mechanisms (like davinci robots) long before the decision making processes are incorporated into a robot surgeon. Essentially, there won't be a "computer surgeon" for a long time and the difference between Human Surgeons using modern assist technology vs a fully computer surgeon mortality will be blurred as assistance technology improves. So there will never be a 1% vs 0.5% mortality. It will be equal mortality at best before AGI allows improvements under as many or more conditions as a human. Just my opinion of course.

Brakenshire 11y ago
I would guess the automatic parts will be like a toolkit of tasks which the surgeon can delegate to an algorithm. You could imagine that an algorithm could sew skin together with a level of accuracy to prevent scarring, rejoin nerve and small blood vessels quicker and more accurately, or remove cancerous tissue tagged with a biomarker, while avoiding nerves or important structures nearby. The surgeon could put the surgery into the controlled situation that the algorithm understands, and make some over-arching decisions through a UI (for instance, he could say 'join this nerve on this side to this nerve on the other', which might be difficult for the algorithm to work out), and then the algorithm would accomplish that task, and return control back to the surgeon. More simply, a program could prevent a human surgeon using a machine like a Da Vinci from touching a nerve, or define the limits of bone removal. The latter example does already exist in clinical use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYVhSymNN4&t=3m20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYVhSymNN4&t=3m20s

by daveguy 11y ago

Brakenshire 11y ago

I would guess the automatic parts will be like a toolkit of tasks which the surgeon can delegate to an algorithm. You could imagine that an algorithm could sew skin together with a level of accuracy to prevent scarring, rejoin nerve and small blood vessels quicker and more accurately, or remove cancerous tissue tagged with a biomarker, while avoiding nerves or important structures nearby. The surgeon could put the surgery into the controlled situation that the algorithm understands, and make some over-arching decisions through a UI (for instance, he could say 'join this nerve on this side to this nerve on the other', which might be difficult for the algorithm to work out), and then the algorithm would accomplish that task, and return control back to the surgeon. More simply, a program could prevent a human surgeon using a machine like a Da Vinci from touching a nerve, or define the limits of bone removal. The latter example does already exist in clinical use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYVhSymNN4&t=3m20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGYVhSymNN4&t=3m20s