We’re not yet at the point where robots are performing surgery independently, and according to the experts driving this transformation, that’s not the goal. “The robots are not doing the operations,” said Dr. Ed Chekan, Director of Medical Affairs at Asensus Surgical, “but they are helping us see what we couldn’t see before.”
It’s a critical distinction in a field crowded with hype. At Living Well In Boston, I sat down with Chekan and Bill Peine, a VP of Surgical Research and Technology at Medtronic, to discuss the current state of robotic-assisted surgery—and why the most significant breakthroughs may not be in the robot arms, but in the unseen intelligence behind them.
Peine, a robotics and surgical systems innovator behind Medtronic’s Hugo™ system, explained it this way: “My grandfather was one of the first oral surgeons in Indiana. My mother was a scrub nurse. She used to say the best surgeons had small hands because they made smaller incisions. That’s what we’re doing with robotics: giving surgeons tools with the dexterity of the human hand that can operate through tiny incisions.”
But the true power of this new wave of surgical robotics isn’t just mechanical—it’s digital.
Chekan offered a vivid metaphor. “I was out walking the dog, took a shortcut through the woods, and used an app to ID the plants around me,” he said. “It showed me Plant A, Plant B… and then, Copperhead snake. I couldn’t see it at all, but the AI said ‘Step back.’ That’s what we’re trying to do in surgery: highlight what the surgeon might not see in the operative field.”
These “augmented” views are already translating into real-world improvements. With laparoscopic cameras feeding digital overlays into the surgical field, and tools like Medtronic’s Touch Surgery™ platform segmenting video into procedural phases, surgeons can visualize structures like the ureter that might otherwise be missed. That means fewer complications, better outcomes, and in many cases, faster recovery.
And then there’s training—one of the greatest untapped opportunities in surgical robotics. “We can take a surgical video, identify each step, and give surgeons instant access post-op,” said Peine. “They can study how they performed, compare against experts, and improve with every case. It’s like watching game tape for athletes—and these are the pros of medicine.”
Chekan is designing training programs that adapt to a surgeon’s baseline skills, shortening the learning curve. “We’re not teaching people to perform surgery,” he clarified, “we’re teaching them how to be proficient on the system—quickly, safely, and effectively.”
Beyond performance, these technologies are also transforming the way surgeons work. “Surgeons are like athletes,” Peine added. “They want to be better. And now we can give them insights into their hand motions, their timing, and their outcomes. Some even come back just to beat their training score.”
One of the most promising frontiers? Endoluminal surgery—operating through natural pathways in the body rather than cutting through skin and muscle. “It’s about going through the GI tract, the airways, the urinary system,” Peine said. “Less invasive means more access, better recovery, and more life in your years.”
For Chekan, this isn’t just about patient health. It’s also about surgeon longevity. “Standing for hours in contorted positions takes a toll,” he said. “These systems help reduce physical strain and cognitive load, letting surgeons focus on what matters most.”
We may still be a long way from fully autonomous surgeries, but one thing is clear: AI, robotics, and data-driven insights are making surgeons better—not obsolete. As Chekan put it, “The breakthrough moment may not be clear now. But we’ll look back and say, that was the wave that changed everything.”
Watch my full conversation below:
