Micro Surgical Robot Swarm MicroSurge Completes First Eye Surgery: 100-Micrometer Precision Subretinal Injection

Micro Surgical Robot Swarm MicroSurge Completes First Eye Surgery

On October 9, 2030, the Oxford University Eye Hospital in the UK announced the successful completion of the world's first robot-assisted subretinal injection surgery using the MicroSurge micro surgical robot swarm. MicroSurge consists of three micro robotic arms that can work collaboratively within the approximately 2-centimeter space inside an eyeball, precisely injecting drugs into the roughly 100-micrometer-thick gap beneath the retina.

Subretinal injection is a critical procedure for treating retinal diseases such as macular degeneration, requiring the needle to deliver drugs into the approximately 100-micrometer-thick subretinal space without damaging the retina. The difficulty is akin to embroidering on tofu — any slight tremor could cause retinal perforation.

MicroSurge's three robotic arms each perform different functions: one stabilizes the eyeball position, one handles imaging and navigation, and one executes the injection. The three arms share a sub-millimeter motion compensation algorithm that filters out the surgeon's physiological hand tremor.

Professor Robert MacLaren of Oxford University's ophthalmology department was the lead surgeon. He said: "MicroSurge has not replaced me — I still make all the decisions. But it gives me precision far beyond human limits."

The surgery lasted approximately 25 minutes, and the patient recovered well postoperatively. MicroSurge was developed by Oxford University spin-off Oxbotics and is currently applying for CE certification.