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TECH EYE OCTOBER 02, 2026 | The Indian Eye 33

TECH EYE

For Minimally Invasive Surgery

AI Takes Lead

esearchers at the Massachu- The system uses a patient’s existing
setts Institute of Technology CT or MRI scan to generate thou-
R(MIT) and collaborating insti- sands of realistic, synthetic X-rays
tutions have developed a patient-spe- through a physics-based simulation.
cific artificial intelligence technique An AI model then uses this infor-
that could improve the safety and mation to align the actual surgical
precision of minimally invasive sur- X-rays with the patient’s 3D scan.
geries by helping doctors better nav- A major advantage is speed.
igate surgical instruments inside the While training a completely new
body. model for each patient could take
Called X-ray volume registration around 12 hours, the researchers’
(xvr), the technique rapidly matches pretrained foundation model can
real-time X-ray images taken during adapt to a new patient in approx-
surgery with a patient’s preopera- imately five minutes and perform
tive 3D medical scans, such as CT or the registration within seconds, with
MRI images. sub-millimetre precision.
This can help surgeons deter- Researchers tested the technolo-
mine the exact position and orien- gy using data from five hospitals, cov-
tation of instruments during pro- However, X-rays produce two-di- ally have to manually align these im- ering various body parts, organs and
cedures performed through small mensional images, making it difficult ages with 3D scans, a process that both adult and paediatric patients.
incisions. to understand the precise location of can be slow and demanding. The system outperformed existing
Minimally invasive procedures instruments relative to organs, bones The MIT team designed xvr to AI-based approaches in accuracy
often rely on X-rays for navigation. and other tissues. Doctors tradition- adapt specifically to each patient. and robustness.

Teenagers in China to face Ban Google’s CC evolves into an AI agent

on Intimate AI Companions designed to manage family life

hina has proposed banning al dependence among young users. oogle has expanded its exper- bers can decide what information they
online platforms from offer- imental AI agent, CC, into a want to share, including emails from
Cing AI-powered “virtual rel- The draft further proposes restric- Ghousehold assistant designed schools, sports clubs, travel companies
atives” and “virtual companions” to tions on stranger-focused social to help families coordinate schedules, or other services. Users can also send
users under 18, as part of new regu- networking for minors, with an tasks and everyday logistics. The new individual messages, images or files to
lations aimed at strengthening pro- version, announced by Google Labs CC when they want it to update family
tections for minors online. exception for those aged 16 and on September 17, allows up to six fam- schedules or tasks.
The draft rules, released by Chi- above who primarily depend on ily members to share information with Each morning, CC can send
na’s Cyberspace Administration on their own labour income. Children CC, which can then organise calen- members a shared “Your Day Ahead”
September 18, seek to restrict ser- under 16 would also be barred dars, track tasks and prepare a shared briefing outlining schedules, respon-
vices that could encourage addic- from hosting livestreams. daily briefing. sibilities and tasks completed by the
tion or seriously affect the physical The AI agent can also take on agent the previous day. The system
and mental well-being of children selected household tasks, including also maintains a shared memory for
and teenagers. The proposals are AI services that could influ- preparing weekly meal plans, creating household information while distin-
currently open for public feedback, ence the cognition of users under school-supply shopping lists and filling guishing it from personal details be-
with comments being accepted until 16 would have to operate through out permission slips or activity-regis- longing to individual members.
October 17. a dedicated “minor mode”. Online tration forms, with the user’s permis- The technology runs on Google’s
Under the proposed regula- games and several social networking sion. It can identify important dates Gemini models and its agentic infra-
tions, platforms would be prohibit- services would also be required to and tasks from information shared structure, Antigravity, with connections
ed from providing “virtual intimate provide such safeguards. by family members and add them to to services including Gmail, Google
relationship services” to minors. The proposed measures build a shared Google Calendar or task list. Chat, Docs and Calendar. Google said
This includes AI services designed on China’s broader regulation of CC has been given its own verified the experiment is currently available
to simulate relationships with virtu- human-like AI services. The latest Google account, allowing it to func- to adults aged 18 and above in the US
al family members or partners. The proposal reflects growing regulatory tion as a separate participant within with personal Google accounts. Exist-
rules also target services that may attention to how AI systems interact the household rather than being tied ing users are being invited to upgrade,
encourage excessive use or emotion- with children and teenagers. to one person’s account. Family mem- while new users can join a waitlist.

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