Robots Are Quickly Becoming the Future of Surgery, Elon Musk and Medtronic Show Evidence

Elon Musk made a bold prediction: robots will surpass “good” human surgeons within a few years — and even the very best surgeons within about five years. Musk backed up his statement by pointing to Neuralink’s own experience, where the company had no choice but to use a robot to handle brain-computer electrode insertion. According to Musk, the procedure required a level of speed and precision that human hands simply couldn’t match.

Musk’s comments came in response to another major development: the performance of Medtronic’s Hugo robot-assisted surgery (RAS) system. In a recent set of real-world trials, Hugo was tested in 137 surgeries involving delicate procedures on prostates, kidneys, and bladders. The results exceeded expectations, with extremely low complication rates — just 3.7% for prostate surgeries, according to Mario Nawfal, who first shared the news on X.

The image shared shows the Hugo RAS system in action, operating on a medical dummy. Hugo is equipped with robotic arms that offer precision control, guided by surgeons operating remotely. The design mirrors the larger trend toward minimally invasive surgery, where tiny incisions and robotic assistance can lead to faster patient recovery, fewer complications, and higher overall success rates.

It’s worth noting that while surgical robots like Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci system have been around for years, the speed of advancement lately is startling. Medtronic’s Hugo system entering real surgical use — and outperforming expectations — signals that the robotics competition is heating up fast.

Musk’s remarks also hint at broader implications: if robots can outperform surgeons in delicate operations, the entire landscape of healthcare training, hospital operations, and patient care may be forced to evolve. Hospitals could increasingly rely on AI-driven robots for precision procedures, reducing human error but also shifting the skillsets doctors need to thrive.