Request for Information ARPA-H Possible Directions in Autonomous Robotic Surgery

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY: Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a request for proposal. The Government will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI as all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be the sole responsibility of the responding party.

PURPOSE OF THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is seeking information on possible directions in autonomous robotic surgery.

In autonomous robotic surgery, a robot performs part, or all, of a surgical procedure without direct surgeon input. A small device that automatically aims a catheter for placement, a cart system that can automatically suture a wound, and a multi-armed robot that can complete a cholecystectomy without a surgeon’s guidance are all examples of systems with autonomous robotic surgery capabilities. Autonomous robotic surgery has the potential to improve health outcomes by:

• enabling surgery to be performed in remote or emergency settings where surgeons are not available,


• enabling new procedures that cannot be performed by human surgeons due to limitations in perception or access,


• elevating the performance of new or nonspecialist surgeons,


• automating routine surgical tasks, reducing physical and mental fatigue

RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: Review the pdf file provided with this announcement for complete submittal instructions. Interested individuals and organizations should submit comments electronically by April 22, 2024 at 5:00PM ET to robotic.surgery.RFI@arpa-h.gov and include “RFI Response: Possible Directions in Autonomous Robotic Surgery” and the name of their institution in the subject line. Due to time constraints, electronic submissions received after the deadline may not be taken into consideration.