This robot will help or even replace surgeons in the future. The robot can be used to diagnose and eventually treat lung cancer. It can be operated manually by using a controller, however, specialists say that it might be able to work without human aid.

The reason why the scientist focused on lung cancer is that it is the deadliest cancer with about 1,7 million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organisation. Another reason is that introducing a robot that can treat lung cancer, is the perfect proving ground for medical robots.

So far, doctors that sign up for the Auris’s pilot program will have to drive the bot, and guide the scope through the lung, starting in the trachea, with a video screen to help navigate. Once the doctor reaches the suspect tumour, a needle can be run through the snake and used to take a tissue sample.

Although some surgeons won’t be able to safely perform lung biopsies anytime soon, the robots can do the driving for simple diagnostic procedures, while being operated under the watch of a surgeon.