In a groundbreaking medical achievement, surgeons in Switzerland successfully performed a remote endoscopy on a pig located in Hong Kong, over 5,780 miles away. The procedure, conducted by scientists from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and ETH Zurich in Switzerland, paves the way for remote surgeries in humans, particularly in areas where local expertise may not be readily available.
The procedure involved a robotic system in Hong Kong that was controlled remotely by a surgeon in Zurich using a PlayStation 3 Move controller. The surgeon viewed a live video feed of the procedure and used the controller to maneuver a magnetic endoscope inside the pig’s stomach. The endoscope, equipped with magnets, was steered by manipulating an external magnetic field, allowing the surgeon to navigate the endoscope and perform precise movements, including a full U-turn inside the pig’s stomach.
One of the key accomplishments of the procedure was the successful biopsy of the pig’s stomach wall tissue. Despite the enormous distance between the surgeon and the patient, the system maintained a latency of under 300 milliseconds, which is fast enough for real-time responsiveness. This allowed the surgeon to effectively carry out the delicate procedure, demonstrating the feasibility of remote-controlled medical interventions.
The team’s success highlights the potential for remote surgeries in the near future. With this technology, surgeries could be performed in remote or underserved areas, providing critical care to patients who may not have access to specialized expertise. The technology could also be used in extreme environments, such as space missions, where medical emergencies may occur far from Earth.
While robotic-assisted surgeries are already common in modern medicine, this experiment took the concept of telemedicine to a new level by demonstrating that geographic distance does not need to be a limiting factor. The use of a PlayStation 3 Move controller for the procedure also emphasizes how existing consumer technologies can be adapted for high-precision tasks in the medical field.
Moving forward, the research team plans to conduct human trials using the same technology. They are optimistic that this approach will enhance access to specialized surgical care, reduce the need for patient travel, and bring cutting-edge healthcare to areas that may otherwise lack advanced medical resources.
The research was published in the journal Advanced Intelligent Systems and is a major step toward the future of teleoperated medical procedures.
