Removing the Drapes: Reflexive Insights on Research into Real-World Surgical Human-Robot Collaboration

Stepping beyond the security of controlled lab environments to study the complex realities of real-world interactive system use is a significant undertaking. Although ‘in-the-wild' approaches are widely used within HCI, they typically come at a cost, both literally, as they can be expensive to run, and metaphorically, as they give rise to new issues, such as ethical implications for participants. We present reflexive insights into conducting Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) research in real-world surgical environments, drawing on three studies of robotic-assisted surgeries that include video analysis, interviews, and in-theatre observations. We reflect on the ways we navigated ethics approvals, institutional gatekeeping, spatial and procedural constraints, and trust-building across various settings. The paper presents five lessons learned, outlining strategies for negotiating institutional access, conducting in-situ observations, adapting methods in restricted environments, and aligning expectations across stakeholders. These lessons extend conversations in HCI about the complexities of conducting qualitative research in clinical domains.