Chinese researchers have developed an autonomous robotic system capable of performing highly delicate eye injections inside the confined space of the human eye, marking a breakthrough in robotic microsurgery.
The system was developed by the Institute of Automation under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and completed animal trials with 100% accuracy, performing both subretinal and intravascular injections. The findings were recently published in the journal Science Robotics.
Eye surgery, particularly on the retina, remains one of the most complex medical procedures due to extremely small and fragile tissues.
The new robotic system overcomes these challenges using advanced 3D spatial perception algorithms, ultra-precise positioning, and trajectory control technology to guide its robotic arm with exceptional accuracy.
During tests on eyeball models, porcine eyes, and live animal eyes, the robot reduced positioning errors by nearly 80% compared to manual surgery and by 55% compared to surgeon-controlled robotic procedures.
Researchers say the technology could significantly improve surgical safety, precision, and consistency, reduce surgeon training time, and enable complex eye procedures in remote or underserved regions where specialist doctors are unavailable.
Experts believe the innovation could transform treatment for serious retinal diseases, offering safer and more reliable microsurgical interventions.
