Researchers in Abu Dhabi have won an international award at a robotic surgery conference in Italy for an AI tool designed to assist surgeons during operations.
The team at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) in Abu Dhabi won the accolade for developing Janus AI, which will show surgeons footage of similar past procedures.
The technology analyses video footage captured during robotic surgery and selects a 30-second clip from a previous operation that matches the current stage of the procedure.
The system works like a Google search for robotic surgery clips, letting doctors access relevant examples while operating.
The footage can help surgeons see how other doctors approached the same task and guide them through subsequent steps.
“While performing robotic surgery, we can have superimposed a number of small videos that show similar procedures, successful procedures, good procedures, in the exact same moment, so there is a guideline to follow,” said Cesare Stefanini, a professor of robotics at MBZUAI, who oversaw the technology’s development.
“Sometimes surgeons may need some assistance; they would like to discuss with a colleague what they are doing, but they are not there, so this is a way to bring some human content to another human.”
Janus AI takes its name from the Roman god Janus, depicted with two faces: one looking to the past and the other to the future. The name reflects the system’s aim of using previous surgical experience to help doctors make decisions during current procedures.
The technology won the Robotic Urology Breakthrough Innovation Challenge award at Erus 26, a robotic urology surgery conference held in Padua, Italy, in September.
“It’s very rewarding to be acknowledged by a community which is not only the computer science, AI, and robotics community, but also the medical community, [as it shows] that we are doing something that can be useful in the future,” said Prof Stefanini.
The project was developed in collaboration with surgeons at the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Turin in Italy also contributed.
Edoardo Fazzari, a postdoctoral researcher at MBZUAI, carried out much of the system’s development over about five months this year, following initial discussions with doctors.
He said the project was particularly rewarding because it offered practical benefits beyond academic research.
The system can show surgeons footage from three previous operations at the same stage of a procedure, letting them compare different approaches.
“Why it’s helpful for the resident, for the surgeons, is that you can look at the future. We are using past experience to help humans make the next steps,” he said.
“It should be very quick – we try to make it in milliseconds. You just click your button, make your query, and it pops up with three previous experiences that you can learn from.”
The current video library covers robotic urology procedures, including nephrectomies, in which a kidney is removed.
The researchers hope to expand the system to other surgeries, particularly robotic procedures, as the library grows.
However, Janus AI is not yet ready for use in live operations. The technology needs further refinement and regulatory approval before it can enter clinical practice.
When development is complete, the researchers hope to secure a commercial partner to bring the system to market.
Prof Stefanini, whose group plans to recruit new postgraduate students, including Emiratis, said the project is a source of pride for the UAE.
He said MBZUAI had created an environment in which AI researchers can exchange ideas and develop new technologies.
“We’ve proven we can produce world-class results in the UAE, with the talent and vision that we have here. It’s encouraging for the future,” he said.
“It’s not just something that individually we are proud of, but it can become a platform for future developments here.”