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Telerobotic Surgery A Reality

Posted by timothy on from the old-hat-new-brain dept.

Moby Cock writes "Aquanauts on board NASA's NEEMO7 have successfully completed simulated gall bladder surgery with 'coaching' from a surgeon half a continent away. The story is covered at space.com and the Globe and Mail. The project is aimed at studying the feasiblity of dealing with medical emergencies in space on the ISS. "We have learned that it is possible, and quite safe, to telementor an untrained person through a complex medical task," said Dr. Mehran Anvari, one of the principal investigators from the McMaster University Centre for Minimal Access Surgery."

6 of 22 comments (clear)

  1. Quite safe you say? by crstophr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Fine, YOU go first.

  2. Ripple effect... by mintrepublic · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This could have some interesting effects eventually on the medical industry at large. The military could use this kind of thing to lower their need for medical personnel, or especially long space flights.

    1. Re:Ripple effect... by modest+apricot · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Very true, yet another piece of technology that has wondeful applications in our not-so-distant future. However, knowing the miltiary and NASA, this will never replace a good old doctor if anything for sheer redundancy.

      I atteneded a few lectures on possible plans for a mission to the moon/mars/beyond, and a former astronaut said one of the most important qualities they were looking for in astronaut applications was medical ability. NASA would never consider a mission to anywhere distant without a competent surgeon or the like on board.

  3. Quite safe... by skinfitz · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...until you forget to pay the phone bill.

  4. Malpractice? by Spykk · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I wonder who is responsible for a botched surgery, the untrained proxy or the doctor on the other end of the line?

  5. "reality" != "simulation" by museumpeace · · Score: 2, Insightful

    the feat reported is certainly valid news and the techniques of remote control surgery will have application beyond medical emergencies in space
    BUT PLEASE: saying something is a reality when it has only been simulated is misleading! How much would you pay the doctor who says "I have simulated removal of your tumor"? Reality is billable.

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