Robotic assisted surgery is a paradigm shifting technology in contemporary healthcare in the 21st-century era of surgery that improves precision, three-dimensional (3D) imaging, and has better patient outcomes in various surgical specialties.  The combination of soft robotics with computation is becoming a game changer in neurosurgery within challenging brain and spine surgery. Transition from the bulky and stiff traditional robot to compliant soft robotic platforms in minimally invasive surgery fulfills critical shortcomings, such as (i) restricted navigation in workspace, (ii) insufficient instrument triangulation, and (iii) risk of tissue injury. Soft robotics are constructed with biocompatible elastomeric materials that have moduli reflecting those of biological matter, allowing for safe human-robot interaction, increasing efficacy in difficult anatomical regions. There are many applications of soft robotics including continuum robots for access neuroanatomy, flexible endoscopic systems for accessing the skull base, and precision guided robotics for spinal instruments. The current clinical evidence supports significant advantages in robot-assisted spinal surgery, including enhanced accuracy in pedicle screw placement, reduced radiation exposure, and improved cost-effectiveness in high-volume centers. The inclusion of computational intelligence in robotic platforms can allow for intra-operative trajectory modification, considerations to support intraoperative decision making, and predictive analytic models for pre-surveillance planning surgery based on surgical history and instrumentation. More recent advances coupling digital twin modeling, haptics feedback devices, and virtual performance analysis can help improve patient outcomes and assist during surgical procedures.

Associate Professor Commander Sorayouth Chumnanvej, M.D., Ph.D. is a neurosurgeon at the Neurosurgery Unit, Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. He earned his medical degree from Thammasat University (1997) and completed his neurosurgery board certification at Mahidol University (2001), followed by a Clinical Research Fellowship in Cerebrovascular Surgery at Harvard Medical School (2005). Dr. Chumnanvej holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Mahidol University (2019) and has completed advanced training in robotic surgery, including the Mazor Robotics Renaissance Training Course at Nicholson Center, Florida (2013). His research focuses on surgical robotics, robotic-assisted surgery, digital twin technology, cerebrovascular surgery, and spinal instrumentation. With over 20 years of neurosurgical experience, Dr. Chumnanvej has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents, including innovations in surgical robots for endonasal endoscopic transsphenoidal approaches. His recent work on robot-assisted spinal surgery and digital twin technology in neurosurgery has received international recognition. He was awarded the prestigious “Beloved Medical Teacher Award” (2025) and the ICS Inventor Award (2019). Dr. Chumnanvej is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand (FRCST) and the Royal College of Neurological Surgeons of Thailand (FRCNST). He has presented at numerous international conferences and symposiums, including the Medical Fair Asia 2024 on remote surgical training and the Advanced Skull Base Masterclass 2025 in Singapore.