The goal of this preclinical trial is to learn about the benefits and limitations of novel robotic devices for microsurgery, based on different levels of microsurgical experience. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Is robot-assisted microsurgery faster, better and more ergonomic than conventional microsurgery in a preclinical standardized setting?

Participants will perform microvascular anastomoses on 1.0-mm-diameter artificial silicone vessels using a conventional manual approach versus a novel robot-assisted approach. Researchers will compare the performance of novices, advanced participants and experts to evaluate the role of microsurgical experience when learning the new technique.

Recent advancements in the development of robotic devices increasingly draw the attention towards the concept of robotic microsurgery, as several systems tailored to open microsurgery are being introduced. This study describes the combined application of a novel microsurgical robot, the Symani, with a novel robotic microscope, the RoboticScope, for the performance of microvascular anastomoses in a two-center preclinical trial.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Novices: no prior experience in microsurgery
• Residents: 2-4 years of experience in microsurgery
• Experts: at least 5 years of experience in microsurgery

Exclusion Criteria:

• previous training with the robotic devices applied in this study
• contraindications for usage of robotic devices (magnetic field)

Primary data from this study can be made available upon request for dedicated purposes.

Outcome assessors are blinded for participant groups and number of anastomosis during evaluation of scores.