Kharagpur: IIT Kharagpur, India’s first and largest IIT, has announced a new research programme in partnership with Intuitive Foundation,...
Kharagpur: IIT Kharagpur, India’s
first and largest IIT, has announced a new research programme in partnership
with Intuitive Foundation, a non-profit organisation funded by Intuitive
Surgical, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer
of robotic-assisted surgery.
The initiative aims to develop
comprehensive digital models of surgical care that can underpin more reliable
safety guidance, AI-enabled decision support, and responsible early-stage
automation in future robotic-assisted procedures. Over time, these advancements
are expected to help surgeons work with greater confidence and consistency,
supporting better patient outcomes through more standardised and predictable
surgical processes.
To test these models, IIT
Kharagpur will use the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK), a non-clinical research
platform built from retired da Vinci systems. The dVRK links digital models to
physical robotic movements, enabling the development and testing of early
automation modules using phantoms, synthetic tissues, and anatomical models.
All testing will take place in controlled laboratory settings and will not
involve human surgery.
The work is guided by a
multidisciplinary research team and supported by IIT Kharagpur’s long-standing
collaboration with Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. By
closely documenting cholecystectomy procedures (the surgical removal of the
gallbladder) in real clinical settings, the researchers will gain practical
insight into how surgeries unfold, helping them refine the digital models and
identify where supportive tools could have the greatest impact.
Prof. Suman Chakraborty,
Director, IIT Kharagpur, said, “This programme reflects the strength of collaboration between
academia, clinicians, and global technology partners in addressing complex
challenges in surgical care. By working closely with the Intuitive Foundation
and our clinical collaborators, we are combining engineering science with
real-world surgical expertise to build knowledge that can be shared, validated,
and collectively advanced. Such partnerships are crucial to developing robust
and responsible frameworks that enhance surgical safety and promote improved
outcomes for patients worldwide.”
Prof. Debdoot Sheet, Associate
Professor, IIT Kharagpur, added, “Our focus is to document surgery in a form that computational systems
can understand. By analysing how surgeons make decisions across the entire
surgical journey, we can identify the points where targeted reinforcement or
guidance can strengthen safety. These structured models also help us recognise
steps that are simpler and highly repeatable, which can be automated reliably
in a controlled environment. The purpose is to elevate the surgeon’s focus to
complex decision-making, while standardised tasks are executed with uniform
precision.” Joining these efforts at IIT
Kharagpur are also Prof. Partha Pratim Chakrabarti and Prof. Subhamoy Mandal.
The programme is expected to
deliver two major outcomes.
The first is a complete digital
footprint of the surgical pathway, enabling AI-driven systems that combine
diagnostic details, planned scenarios, intra-operative context, and recovery
data to highlight safer techniques, flag deviations, and trace the sources of
complications.
The second is the responsible
introduction of selective automation. Once the mapped workflows identify steps
that are simpler, safer, and more repeatable, targeted automation modules can
support surgeons during routine tasks and help them focus on higher-level
decision-making.
“The dVRK has become an
important resource for academic research, with 40 engineering groups across 41
universities in 11 countries using the platform to explore new questions in
surgical robotics,” said Dr. Catherine Mohr, President of the
Intuitive Foundation. “By providing a non-clinical system for this
work, we enable the next generation of young engineers and designers to test
early concepts safely and systematically long before they reach patients. It is
encouraging to see teams like IIT Kharagpur investing in the future of India
and using the platform to advance rigorous inquiry into the future of
robotic-assisted surgery.”
Commenting on the
initiative, Rohitt Mahajan, Vice President and General Manager,
Intuitive India, “Intuitive is committed to supporting academic research
that drives scientific progress in minimally invasive care. Through the dVRK
platform, universities can explore new concepts to accelerate the future of
robotic-assisted surgery. IIT Kharagpur’s expertise in surgical informatics and
robotics makes it a valued collaborator and academic partner, and we are
pleased to collaborate with the institute in the efficient translation of
research ideas into practical applications. We look forward to
supporting the team here in their mission to reduce variability of patient
outcomes through standardisation of decision making in surgery by leveraging
artificial intelligence and machine learning”.
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