# Episode 162: The robot doctor will see you now - Robot Talk Live

- Show: [Robot Talk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk)
- Published: 2026-06-26
- Length: 50m
- Episode: 162
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live
- Listen: https://ukrobotics.libsyn.com/episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live

## Summary

Claire Asher hosts a live episode of Robot Talk at Imperial College London with George Mylonas (Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (University of Bristol), and Tom Vercauteren (King's College London/Hypervision Surgical). The panel discusses the evolution of surgical robotics from the da Vinci system to soft robotics and AI-driven perceptual interfaces, highlighting research into needle steering, tactile sensing for cancer diagnosis, and computer vision for tissue differentiation. They address the challenges of training AI models with limited annotated medical data, the regulatory hurdles for medical devices, and the ethical implications of autonomy in healthcare.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live#t=7) Introduction and History of Surgical Robots
- [1:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live#t=99) George Mylonas on Surgical Robotics and Soft Robots
- [17:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live#t=1027) Antonia Tzemanaki on Dexterous Manipulation and Wearables
- [28:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live#t=1691) Tom Vercauteren on AI, Computer Vision, and Hypervision Surgical
- [39:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live#t=2349) Audience Q&A: Bugs, Data, and Regulation

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- da Vinci (product)
- Intuitive Surgical (company)
- Computer Motion (company)
- Maestro (product)
- Hypervision Surgical (company)
- Hamlyn Centre (company)
- Bristol Robotics Laboratory (company)
- National Robotarium (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [The Future of Surgery: The long path to market for surgical robots with Adam Sachs from Vicarious](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-11-30-the-future-of-surgery-the-long-path-to-market-for-surgical-robots-with-adam-sach) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Axel Krieger | Autonomous Robotics in the Medical Device Field](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-03-25-axel-krieger-autonomous-robotics-in-the-medical-device-field) (Being an Engineer)
- [Joe Bogusky| Surgical Robots, Catheter R&D, & Seahorse Tails](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2022-05-20-joe-bogusky-surgical-robots-catheter-r-d-seahorse-tails) (Being an Engineer)
- [65. Pizzaiolo Robot & Autonomous Wheelchairs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2022-04-12-65-pizzaiolo-robot-autonomous-wheelchairs) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Performance-Guided Surgery:  Robots in the operating room](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-09-19-performance-guided-surgery-robots-in-the-operating-room) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-06-26-episode-162-the-robot-doctor-will-see-you-now-robot-talk-live. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Robot Talk.