Scientists from Johns Hopkins University have created a robotic surgeon, ASTR, to remove cancerous tumors from the tongue.

ASTR (Autonomous System for Tumor Resection) – an autonomous tumor resection system can remove tumors from the tongue with human-level accuracy, and in some situations even surpasses it.

ASTR is fully controlled by a human. The doctor can control the robot and use it to cut tissue with maximum precision in all directions.

The robot can perfectly remove 5 mm of tissue, which is already enough to remove infected cells. The scientists tested the ASTR on pig tongue tissue and it successfully passed all the tests.

In the next stage, ASTR will be tested on internal organs, such as kidneys, where dissection is required to remove tumors.