UAE researchers win award for AI tool that helps surgeons during operations

Researchers from Abu Dhabi have been awarded at a robotic surgery conference in Italy for their AI tool, Janus AI, aimed at assisting surgeons during operations. The innovation, developed by Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), analyzes footage captured during robotic surgery to provide surgeons with relevant past procedures.

This "Google search" for surgical clips allows doctors to see how others handled similar tasks, aiding their current decision-making process. Professor Cesare Stefanini of MBZUAI explained that during robotic surgery, surgeons could have superimposed small videos showing successful procedures, offering guidance on subsequent steps.

Named after the Roman god Janus, the system seeks to merge past and future elements by utilizing historical surgical experience to help doctors make informed choices during ongoing procedures. The Robotic Urology Breakthrough Innovation Challenge award at Erus 26, a robotic urology surgery conference in Padua, Italy, recognized Janus AI.

The project, a collaboration with surgeons from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Turin in Italy, involved extensive development by postdoctoral researcher Edoardo Fazzari over five months. Currently, the system focuses on robotic urology procedures like nephrectomies but hopes to expand its library to encompass a broader range of surgeries.

However, Janus AI is still in development and requires regulatory approval before it can be used in real-world operations. Prof Stefanini emphasized the significance of this achievement for the UAE, as MBZUAI fosters an environment where AI researchers can collaborate and innovate.