Advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery: Robotics, AI, and the Next Frontier

Surgical robotics has moved from a niche capability to a mainstream clinical tool in less than a decade. With over 3,000 robotic surgical systems now installed globally, and the newest generation incorporating autonomous AI-guided suturing and tissue identification, the pace of technological evolution is challenging surgical training programmes worldwide.

This premium webinar is led by Dr. Kenji Tanaka, who brings first-hand expertise having performed more than 3,000 robot-assisted procedures and worked directly with the research teams developing the next generation of AI-guided surgical systems. The session combines clinical evidence, video demonstrations, and a frank assessment of the technology's current limitations.

Participants will explore the outcomes data for robotic-assisted surgery across five specialties — colorectal, urological, gynaecological, thoracic, and hepatobiliary — and examine how patient selection, institutional volume, and surgeon experience interact to determine outcomes. Dr. Tanaka will also present the preliminary data from three ongoing clinical trials of AI-guided autonomous suturing systems.

The final segment of the webinar addresses the surgical training implications: how residency programmes should evolve, what competency frameworks are being proposed by surgical colleges globally, and how established surgeons can transition to robotic platforms effectively.