Hackaday Podcast Ep 329: AI Surgery, a Prison Camp Lathe, and a One Hertz Four-Fer
Jul 18, 2025
Dive into the world of groundbreaking AI-assisted surgery with innovative robots transforming the medical field. Explore the fascinating realm of fusion reactors making strides in energy production. Discover quirky projects from the One Hertz Challenge, showcasing the community’s creativity. Unearth a remarkable story of ingenuity during WWII, where prisoners crafted prosthetic limbs in a clandestine shop. Plus, a look at the rise and fall of Blu-ray amid the streaming era – all packed into a treasure trove of technology and tales!
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Wendelstein 7X Fusion Breakthrough
- The Wendelstein 7X stellarator fusion reactor achieved the hottest and longest plasma runs yet.
- Its unique swirly donut shape improves plasma containment compared to traditional Tokamak designs.
AI Surgical Robot Progress
- Johns Hopkins trained an AI surgical robot to perform pig bladder surgery autonomously.
- The AI uses cascaded neural networks for image recognition and tool control, achieving successful but slow operations.
Caution on PC Health Tracking
- Beware of HP's PC health tracking that might lead to planned obsolescence.
- Consider how device-use data could push premature replacements, especially in consumer markets.