Robot controlled from Earth performs surgery on ISS for first time

For the first time in history, a medical robot called spaceMIRA conducted surgery on the International Space Station (ISS) while being remotely controlled from Earth. This information was reported by the portal Phys.org, citing the news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The spaceMIRA device was developed by the American technology company Virtual Incision. Six doctors remotely operated the robot on the ISS from the company's headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The test operation, which used rubber material instead of a live human, lasted for about two hours. The results showed that the surgeon-operator spaceMIRA was able to successfully perform tasks such as gripping, manipulating, and cutting. The main challenge encountered was a time delay or signal latency of 0.85 seconds.

NASA highlighted that with the increasing duration of space flights, there is a growing need for emergency medical assistance, including surgical procedures ranging from stitching wounds to more complex interventions.

Virtual Incision deemed the experiment a tremendous success and plans to use spaceMIRA not only in space but also on Earth. For instance, a remotely controlled robot could be beneficial in rescuing people in hard-to-reach areas.