In the future, robots can perform surgeries in remote locations, including space – Photo: Virtual Incision
Over the weekend, surgeons on Earth remotely controlled a small robot on the International Space Station (ISS), performing the first such surgery in orbit, albeit a test one. on simulated tissues made from rubber.
The robot participating in this test, called SpaceMIRA, was developed by medical technology manufacturer Virtual Incision (VIC) and the University of Nebraska (USA).
The robot is housed in a compact box the size of a microwave and was launched to the ISS at the end of January this year via a SpaceX rocket. On February 8, astronaut Loral O’Hara of the US Space Agency (NASA) – who has been on the ISS since September last year – installed this robot.
The test surgery was conducted on February 10 from Virtual Incision’s headquarters in Lincoln City, Nebraska. Surgery time lasts about 2 hours with 6 surgeons operating a robot equipped with a camera and 2 arms.
Virtual Incision says the surgery tests standard surgical techniques such as grasping, manipulating and cutting tissue. The simulated tissue is made up of rubber bands.
The main difficulty is the time delay – about 0.85 seconds – between the operations center on Earth and the ISS. For the control experiment, the same process will be performed with the same equipment, but on Earth.
In a shared video, a robotic arm equipped with pliers can be seen gripping and stretching the bandage, while the other arm equipped with scissors makes a cut – simulating the surgical process.
Virtual Incision emphasized that this particular surgery was considered by all surgeons and researchers to be a great success and was almost trouble-free, representing a new step in the development of surgical techniques without any problems. time.
This method could be useful for medical emergencies during multi-year manned space exploration missions, such as to Mars. This method could even be used to develop remotely controlled surgical techniques on Earth to serve remote areas.
NASA, which partially funded the project, said that with longer space missions, the need for emergency care may increase, including medical treatments from the start of the project. Simple lacerations to more complex surgeries.
