The Role of Robotics in Modern Healthcare and Surgery Automation

In early 2026, robotics in healthcare has evolved from “enhanced tools” to integrated intelligent systems. The field is currently defined by three major shifts: the rise of fierce competition in surgical platforms, the birth of autonomous task execution, and the expansion of robotics into daily nursing and pharmacy operations.

🔪 1. Surgical Robotics: The Battle for the OR

For over two decades, one player dominated the field. In 2026, the market has become a multi-platform arena.

• Medtronic’s Hugo RAS System: After receiving FDA clearance in December 2025, the Hugo system is seeing its first major U.S. clinical rollouts this month. Unlike the fixed “da Vinci” design, Hugo uses modular robotic arms on separate mobile carts, allowing surgeons to customize the setup for specific patient anatomies.
• The da Vinci 5 “Case Insights”: Intuitive Surgical has countered with the da Vinci 5, which features integrated AI called “Case Insights.” It provides surgeons with post-surgical feedback, identifying which parts of a procedure took the longest and where their movements were less fluid.
• Specialized Microsurgery: The MMI (Medical Microinstruments) Symani system has gained traction in early 2026 for lymphatic and microvascular repair, allowing surgeons to perform tasks—like suturing tiny vessels—that are physically impossible for the human hand alone.

🤖 2. The Rise of Autonomous Surgery

We have officially passed the milestone where robots are merely “puppets” controlled by humans.

• The SRT-H Milestone: In late 2025, the SRT-H autonomous robot successfully performed a gallbladder removal on lifelike tissue with 100% success. Unlike traditional systems, it was trained on video data of expert surgeons and could adjust its cuts in real-time if the tissue moved or appeared differently than expected.
• Smart Suturing: AI-driven suturing is now being piloted in several “Smart Hospitals” in 2026. These robots can close an incision with perfect, consistent tension, reducing the physical fatigue of the surgeon and lowering the risk of post-op leaks.

🏥 3. Beyond the OR: Pharmacy and Nursing

Robotics is now addressing the global healthcare staffing crisis by taking over non-clinical labor.

• The “Moxi” Expansion: Diligent Robotics’ Moxi has become a common sight in hospitals across North America and Europe. In 2026, its software has been upgraded to handle biometric handoffs, allowing it to deliver medication and lab samples securely without needing a nurse to stop their work.
• Pharmacy Automation: High-speed robotic dispensers (like the Swisslog Healthcare systems) now manage up to 90% of a hospital’s medication inventory, reducing dispensing errors to near zero and ensuring the “Right Drug, Right Dose, Right Patient” through RFID tracking.
• Patient Handling: New “Lifting Robots” are being deployed in 2026 to assist with moving bariatric or immobile patients, a primary cause of musculoskeletal injuries among nursing staff.