A surgical robotic visualization system comprises a first robotic arm, a second robotic arm, a photoacoustic receiver coupled to the first robotic arm, an emitter assembly coupled to the second robotic arm, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to cause the emitter assembly to emit electromagnetic radiation toward an anatomical structure at a plurality of wavelengths capable of penetrating the anatomical structure and reaching an embedded structure located below a surface of the anatomical structure, receive an input of the photoacoustic receiver indicative of an acoustic response signal of the embedded structure, and detect the embedded structure based on the input from the photoacoustic receiver.