Surgery in Space: Remotely Operated Robot Performed the First Simulated Incision in Zero-Gravity

Surgery is a profession that used to be based on manual skills. With the evolution of medical science, doctors were allowed to perform complex procedures with more flexibility, precision, and control through the help of robots. In a recent breakthrough, experts took robotic surgery to the next level by conducting a simulated operation in space.

Doctors on Earth, Robots in Space

A team of experts developed a tiny surgical robot named spaceMIRA, which stands for Miniaturized in Vivo Robotic Assistant. It is similar to its terrestrial counterpart, MIRA, an autonomous robot gripper made by Virtual Incision Corporation in collaboration with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). It arrived at the International Space Station in late January after launching into orbit in a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

SpaceMIRA was created to be incredibly small for a remote surgery robot. Instead of massive equipment occupying an entire room, MIRA and spaceMIRA measure only about 30 inches (76.2 centimeters) long and weigh two pounds (0.91 kilograms). The main difference between the two machines is the latter's ability to be remotely operated and perform pre-programmed tasks.

The robotic space surgeon was not operating on an astronaut but on rubber bands created to mimic elastic tissues such as blood vessels and tendons. Ten rubber bands were strung up inside a small experiment locker the size of a microwave oven. From here, the rubber bands were cut by surgeons remotely connected to the International Space Station from the headquarters of Virtual Incision in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The simulated surgery faced some challenges, such as zero gravity and the confined space of an experiment locker. Aside from these, the surgeons are around 250 miles (402 kilometers) from the International Space Station. This means they had to contend with a noticeable lag from two-thirds to three-quarters of a second between manipulating the equipment and getting a response from spaceMIRA.

According to surgeon Michael Jobst, the procedure requires slower movements than they are used to in the operating room, so they have to wait a little for something to happen. Jobst has been a regular partaker in testing with MIRA on Earth, and he has also conducted the first colorectal surgery on a human patient using this device. To compensate for the lag, engineers scaled the controls in spaceMIRA so that the more significant motions from surgeons will be performed in comparably more minor actions by the robot.

Future of Space Medicine

Since only limited space is available on the International Space Station, it might be difficult to make room for a medical crew member sent to space. The same dilemma might be encountered on long-term missions to the Moon or Mars in the future.

There have been humans on the International Space Station for over two decades; in that time, astronauts have been the world's premier telemedicine patients. They are cared for by doctors, psychologists, imaging specialists, and other medical professionals supplemented by ultrasound machines.

Most of the time, astronauts are in peak physical condition when they reach the International Space Station, so medical challenges are few and are easily treated. However, as space missions become longer, advanced technology such as spaceMIRa may become necessary while no extra space is available for a dedicated doctor.