Medtronic's Hugo surgical robot has recorded outstanding outcomes in a significant clinical milestone, recording a 98.5% success rate in 137 real-world prostate, kidney, and bladder procedures. The US medical device manufacturer said the results surpassed both clinical and long-established safety standards.
Low complication rate impresses clinicians.
The procedure, as part of a larger assessment of the Hugo system, recorded an exceptionally low complication rate:
3.7% in prostate procedures
1.9% in kidney operations
17.9% in bladder operations
Out of all the procedures, just two cases needed a modification in conventional surgical methods, one because of a minor robotic failure and another due to a complicated patient scenario.
Human control, not entirely autonomous.
Although its accuracy is impressive, the Hugo Robotic Assisted Surgery (RAS) system is not autonomous. Rather, a human surgeon directly controls the robot through a console with hand controls and foot pedals. Some have compared the interface to a high-tech video game, highlighting the need for experienced human input.
Modular system with advanced visualization
Released in 2019, Hugo has a modular, multi-quadrant system that can accommodate an array of surgical procedures. Its main strengths are:
Wrist-mounted instruments for enhanced dexterity
3D high-definition visualization
Integration with Touch Surgery Enterprise for video capture and analytics
These features make Hugo an enabling tool for next-generation surgery.
FDA Submission Marks Regulatory Milestone
Capitalizing on its success in the clinic, Medtronic formally submitted Hugo to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 26, 2025, for approval to use in urologic procedures. This comes after the successful completion of the largest Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study in history for robotic-assisted urologic surgery.
Expansion into Hernia and Gynecological Procedures
In the future, Medtronic will add hernia and gynecologic procedures to the scope of Hugo. The company has already run clinical trials in both specialties earlier this year and anticipates sending more pending regulatory clearances.
Elon Musk has foreseen robots outperforming surgeons.
Tech mogul Elon Musk has applauded the success on social media, forecasting that robotic systems will beat average human surgeons in a matter of years, and even the best within a decade.
Musk wrote on X that "robots will surpass good human surgeons within a few years, and the best human surgeons within ~5 years."
He quoted the application of robots in Neuralink's brain-computer interface approach as one piece of evidence, stating that human hands cannot reproduce the precision and speed needed for some intricate tasks.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal Arshad/MSM)