HAI Seminar: Human Skill Augmentation in Robot-Assisted Surgery

In this HAI seminar, Stanford visiting scholar Alaa Eldin Abdelaal explores the rapid growth of robot-assisted surgery and its transformative potential beyond replicating traditional open procedures. Drawing on examples from his research, he highlights how leveraging robots’ unique capabilities—such as multiple visual perspectives, additional arms, and simultaneous operation across locations—can augment surgeons’ skills and move the field toward superhuman surgical performance. This seminar was recorded on January 14, 2026 at Stanford University. 00:00:35 Lecture 00:42:59 Q&A