Matthew MacDougall

And after the robot's done with its part, then the human comes back in and puts the implant into that hole in the skull and covers it up, screwing it down to the skull and sewing the skin back together. So the whole thing is a few hours long.

And after the robot's done with its part, then the human comes back in and puts the implant into that hole in the skull and covers it up, screwing it down to the skull and sewing the skin back together. So the whole thing is a few hours long.

And after the robot's done with its part, then the human comes back in and puts the implant into that hole in the skull and covers it up, screwing it down to the skull and sewing the skin back together. So the whole thing is a few hours long.

It's extremely low risk compared to the average neurosurgery involving the brain that might, say, open up a deep part of the brain or manipulate blood vessels in the brain. This opening on the surface of the brain is... with only cortical microinsertions carries significantly less risk than a lot of the tumor or aneurysm surgeries that are routinely done.

It's extremely low risk compared to the average neurosurgery involving the brain that might, say, open up a deep part of the brain or manipulate blood vessels in the brain. This opening on the surface of the brain is... with only cortical microinsertions carries significantly less risk than a lot of the tumor or aneurysm surgeries that are routinely done.

It's extremely low risk compared to the average neurosurgery involving the brain that might, say, open up a deep part of the brain or manipulate blood vessels in the brain. This opening on the surface of the brain is... with only cortical microinsertions carries significantly less risk than a lot of the tumor or aneurysm surgeries that are routinely done.

Yeah, that's a good question. Humans are general-purpose machines. We're able to adapt to unusual situations. We're able to change the plan on the fly. I remember well a surgery that I was doing many years ago down in San Diego where the plan was to...

Yeah, that's a good question. Humans are general-purpose machines. We're able to adapt to unusual situations. We're able to change the plan on the fly. I remember well a surgery that I was doing many years ago down in San Diego where the plan was to...

Yeah, that's a good question. Humans are general-purpose machines. We're able to adapt to unusual situations. We're able to change the plan on the fly. I remember well a surgery that I was doing many years ago down in San Diego where the plan was to...

open a small hole behind the ear and go reposition a blood vessel that had come to lay on the facial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, the nerve that goes to the face. When that blood vessel lays on the nerve, it can cause just intolerable, horrific shooting pain that people describe like being zapped with a cattle prod.

open a small hole behind the ear and go reposition a blood vessel that had come to lay on the facial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, the nerve that goes to the face. When that blood vessel lays on the nerve, it can cause just intolerable, horrific shooting pain that people describe like being zapped with a cattle prod.

open a small hole behind the ear and go reposition a blood vessel that had come to lay on the facial nerve, the trigeminal nerve, the nerve that goes to the face. When that blood vessel lays on the nerve, it can cause just intolerable, horrific shooting pain that people describe like being zapped with a cattle prod.

And so the beautiful, elegant surgery is to go move this blood vessel off the nerve. The surgery team, we went in there and started moving this blood vessel and then found that there was a giant aneurysm on that blood vessel that was not easily visible on the pre-op scans. And so the plan had to dynamically change and that the...

And so the beautiful, elegant surgery is to go move this blood vessel off the nerve. The surgery team, we went in there and started moving this blood vessel and then found that there was a giant aneurysm on that blood vessel that was not easily visible on the pre-op scans. And so the plan had to dynamically change and that the...

And so the beautiful, elegant surgery is to go move this blood vessel off the nerve. The surgery team, we went in there and started moving this blood vessel and then found that there was a giant aneurysm on that blood vessel that was not easily visible on the pre-op scans. And so the plan had to dynamically change and that the...

Human surgeons had no problem with that, were trained for all those things. Robots wouldn't do so well in that situation, at least in their current incarnation. Fully robotic surgery, like the electrode insertion portion of the Neuralink surgery, it goes according to a set plan. The humans can interrupt the flow and change the plan, but the robot can't really change the plan midway through.

Human surgeons had no problem with that, were trained for all those things. Robots wouldn't do so well in that situation, at least in their current incarnation. Fully robotic surgery, like the electrode insertion portion of the Neuralink surgery, it goes according to a set plan. The humans can interrupt the flow and change the plan, but the robot can't really change the plan midway through.

Human surgeons had no problem with that, were trained for all those things. Robots wouldn't do so well in that situation, at least in their current incarnation. Fully robotic surgery, like the electrode insertion portion of the Neuralink surgery, it goes according to a set plan. The humans can interrupt the flow and change the plan, but the robot can't really change the plan midway through.

It operates according to how it was programmed and how it was asked to run. It does its job very precisely, but not with a wide degree of latitude in how to react to changing conditions.

It operates according to how it was programmed and how it was asked to run. It does its job very precisely, but not with a wide degree of latitude in how to react to changing conditions.