A Pig 9,000 km Away was Remotely Operated on with a Game Controller

Surgeons in Switzerland successfully performed an endoscopy on a pig located 9,300 km (5,780 miles) away in Hong Kong using a video game controller. This achievement marks a step toward remote surgeries for humans in regions lacking local medical expertise.

Doctors already perform many routine surgeries “remotely” to some extent—after all, they don’t physically handle colonoscopies themselves. If they can transmit a live camera feed and movement instructions within a room, why not extend it across the globe?

Scientists Push Boundaries of Remote Surgery with Breakthrough Experiment

In a groundbreaking study, scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and ETH Zurich successfully extended the range of remote surgery. Scientists used a robotic system and magnetic endoscope in Hong Kong, connecting them to a control console in Zurich via WebSocket protocol for real-time data transfer.

The Swiss surgeon watched the procedure via video feed and controlled it with a video game controller.

The surgeon in Zurich steered the magnetic endoscope, lined with magnets, by controlling an external magnetic field using an old PlayStation 3 Move wand. In other tests, scientists have used a more modern PlayStation 5 controller. In other tests, scientists have used a more modern PlayStation 5 controller.

The experiment involved a sedated pig, where the surgeon made a full U-turn with the endoscope and collected a usable biopsy from the pig’s stomach wall. Latency was kept under 300 milliseconds, enabling the doctor to respond in near real-time.

Remote Human Surgeries and Space Applications Now Within Reach

The team believes this success paves the way for remote surgeries on humans. Robots are already assisting with precision surgeries in delicate areas, like the heart and eyes, and this advancement could bring specialized procedures to remote regions or even astronauts in space. The study was published in Advanced Intelligent Systems.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

Read more: Five Distinct Patterns of Brain Aging Uncovered by 50,000 Scans