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Exploring public opinion about liability and responsibility in surgical robotics

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As robotic systems become more autonomous, it gets less straightforward to determine liability when humans are harmed. This is an emerging challenge, with legal implications, in the field of surgical robotic systems. The iRobotSurgeon Survey explores public opinions about responsibility and liability in the area of surgical robotics.

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Fig. 1: The iRobotSurgeon Survey.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to extend their thanks to D. Stoyanov, P. Palmisciano, D. Taylor, H. Lambert, E. Vayena, K. Kerr, J. Collins and J. Davidson for their support and contribution in developing the iRobotSurgeon Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK

    Aimun A. B. Jamjoom

  2. Department of Surgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK

    Ammer M. A. Jamjoom

  3. Wellcome EPSRC centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences, University College London, London, UK

    Hani J. Marcus

  4. Department of Neurosurgery, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK

    Hani J. Marcus

Authors
  1. Aimun A. B. Jamjoom
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  2. Ammer M. A. Jamjoom
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  3. Hani J. Marcus
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Contributions

A.A.B.J. conceived of the idea for the Comment, led the writing, reviewed and agreed on the final version. A.M.A.J. contributed to the writing, reviewed and agreed on the final version. H.J.M. conceived of the idea for the Comment, contributed to the writing, reviewed and agreed on the final version.

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Correspondence to Aimun A. B. Jamjoom.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Jamjoom, A.A.B., Jamjoom, A.M.A. & Marcus, H.J. Exploring public opinion about liability and responsibility in surgical robotics. Nat Mach Intell 2, 194–196 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-020-0169-2

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