Exploring Human-Robot Collaboration in Surgery: Initial Insights from Mako Product Specialists

Vermeulen, JT; Caldwell, GA; Teixeira, MG; Burden, AG; Guertler, M

Exploring Human-Robot Collaboration in Surgery: Initial Insights from Mako Product Specialists

Vermeulen, JT Caldwell, GA Teixeira, MG Burden, AG Guertler, M

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Publisher:: Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: Proceedings of the 37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, 2025, pp. 836-844
Issue Date:: 2025-11-29

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Vermeulen, JT
dc.contributor.author	Caldwell, GA
dc.contributor.author	Teixeira, MG
dc.contributor.author	Burden, AG
dc.contributor.author	Guertler, M https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7062-6349
dc.date.accessioned	2026-01-07T02:06:31Z
dc.date.available	2026-01-07T02:06:31Z
dc.date.issued	2025-11-29
dc.identifier.citation	Proceedings of the 37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, 2025, pp. 836-844
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191394
dc.description.abstract	Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in surgery is often explored from the perspective of surgeons. However, many robotic procedures require the expertise of technical specialists. Their experiences and perspectives in achieving robotically assisted surgeries remain underrepresented. This paper explores the real-world experiences of technical specialists who work alongside Stryker's Mako surgical robotic system in the operating theatre. This work presents initial insights from five expert interviews with Mako Product Specialists (MPSs), who play a central role in supporting Mako-assisted joint replacement surgeries. We identified three themes relating to the MPSs’ ergonomic challenges, teamwork negotiations, and workflow disruptions experienced in the operating theatre. Our findings indicate that surgical HRC extends beyond the surgeon–robot dyad, involving distributed expertise and social negotiation across the surgical team. While robotic systems aim to enhance surgical performance, we argue that their designs should consider the full ecology of human collaborators in the operating theatre.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of the 37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
dc.relation.ispartof	Proceedings of the 37th Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1145/3764687.3769935
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	Exploring Human-Robot Collaboration in Surgery: Initial Insights from Mako Product Specialists
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Robotics Institute (RI)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Centre for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM)
pubs.organisational-group	University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Robotics Institute (RI)/Robotics Institute (RI) Associate Members
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.rights.license	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.date.updated	2026-01-07T02:06:29Z
pubs.publication-status	Published

Abstract:

Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in surgery is often explored from the perspective of surgeons. However, many robotic procedures require the expertise of technical specialists. Their experiences and perspectives in achieving robotically assisted surgeries remain underrepresented. This paper explores the real-world experiences of technical specialists who work alongside Stryker's Mako surgical robotic system in the operating theatre. This work presents initial insights from five expert interviews with Mako Product Specialists (MPSs), who play a central role in supporting Mako-assisted joint replacement surgeries. We identified three themes relating to the MPSs’ ergonomic challenges, teamwork negotiations, and workflow disruptions experienced in the operating theatre. Our findings indicate that surgical HRC extends beyond the surgeon–robot dyad, involving distributed expertise and social negotiation across the surgical team. While robotic systems aim to enhance surgical performance, we argue that their designs should consider the full ecology of human collaborators in the operating theatre.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/191394