Earth Doctors Skillfully Operate a Space-Based Surgical Robot

A team of six doctors in Nebraska has accomplished a surgical robot operation on the International Space Station (ISS). While the procedure was conducted on rubber bands this time, this achievement holds significance for upcoming missions to Mars and for remote operating rooms in rural areas on Earth.

Robotic Surgical Arm Tested for Space Operations

In a recent development, a robotic surgical arm called spaceMIRA (miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant) was transported to the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this year via a SpaceX rocket. This arm, a collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Virtual Incision, a private company, has now been unpacked and utilized. Earth-based doctors remotely operated the arm to perform a series of cutting and grasping actions, simulating surgical procedures on human tissue.

The arm, measuring approximately 30 inches (76 cm) in length and weighing around 2 pounds (0.9 kg), is contained within a box resembling the size of a microwave, where the testing took place. Equipped with an integrated camera, surgeons remotely maneuvered the arm to grip and cut through 10 rubber bands, serving as a substitute for human tissue.

The surgeons carried out the testing at Virtual Incision’s headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska, while mission control was overseen from NASA’s Payload Operations Center at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Six surgeons took turns operating the arm during a two-hour testing session.

Overcoming Latency Challenges in Remote Surgical Operations

All participants successfully completed the task despite experiencing a latency of between 0.5 to 0.75 of a second. To address this delay, the researchers experimented with different scaling factors. For instance, larger movements on Earth translated into smaller movements aboard the ISS.

Michael Jobst, a colorectal surgeon based in Lincoln, who was the first to operate the controls, commented, “You have to wait a little bit for the movement to happen; it’s definitely slower movements than you’re used to in the operating room.” Jobst has previously utilized a terrestrial version of the robotic arm, known as MIRA, to perform successful colon surgery on patients on Earth.

The surgeons not only had to perform 20 precise cuts on both sides of the rubber bands but also had to ensure they didn’t accidentally hit the arm against its casing. Such an impact could have caused damage and potentially released debris into the ISS, posing a significant risk.

Exploring Potential Applications of Remote Surgical Procedures

The successful test not only indicates the feasibility of performing surgeries during longer space missions like those to Mars but also suggests potential applications for remote surgical procedures on Earth, particularly in areas lacking access to onsite surgical teams.

Shane Farritor, the UNL professor and co-founder of Virtual Incision leading the development of spaceMIRA, remarked, “SpaceMIRA’s achievement aboard the space station, orbiting 250 miles above Earth, underscores its potential value for healthcare facilities on Earth.”

Virtual Incision described the experiment as a resounding success, with surgeons and researchers encountering minimal issues. The company anticipates that this advancement will revolutionize the future of surgery.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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