Patients want to hear they are “in good hands” when choosing a surgeon. A Children’s National Hospital team is investigating whether those hands could be replaced with an autonomous robotic arm during pediatric cholecystectomy procedures. “The role of autonomous surgery is at a pivot point,” said Anthony Sandler, M.D., senior vice president and surgeon-in-chief at Children’s National and director of the Sheikh Zayed Institute of Pediatric Surgical Innovation (SZI).