A Robot Surgeon Performed An “Operation” In Space For The First Time Following Commands From Earth
For the first time in history, surgery was performed on the International Space Station (ISS) using the spaceMIRA medical robot, which was controlled remotely from Earth.
The spaceMIRA portable automated surgical complex was created by the young company Virtual Incision under a contract with NASA. The development is based on the MIRA project (Miniaturized In vivo Robotic Assistant – “Miniature robotic assistant for operations on a living organism”). This is a development from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln that has grown into a startup. The project is about 20 years old. It was invented for carrying out remote operations in terrestrial conditions, but found its continuation in NASA space programs in the form of spaceMIRA.
NASA emphasized that as the duration of space flights increases, the need for emergency medical care increases, including surgical interventions from suturing wounds to more complex procedures.
Virtual Incision called the experiment a huge success and plans to use spaceMIRA not only in space, but also on Earth. For example, a remote-controlled robot can be useful for rescuing people in hard-to-reach areas.
