Medical assistance for astronauts: scientists will send a robotic surgeon to the ISS

Medical assistance for astronauts: scientists will send a robotic surgeon to the ISS

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On January 30, during the implementation of the NASA NG-20 mission, a miniature assistant robot In vivo (or MIRA) will be sent to the space station.

This is one of the experiments that will test surgical technologies that can be used for long-distance space travel. They will also help to conduct remote surgical interventions on Earth, writes Space.com.

In vivo is a robotic device weighing approximately one kilogram that has two controllable “arms”. It was developed by the Virtual Incision company so that human doctors on Earth could communicate with astronauts and perform medical interventions with high precision.

“We will operate the machine from Lincoln, Nebraska, and dissect simulated surgical tissue in orbit.”said Shane Farritor, co-founder of Virtual Incision.

Photo: NASA/Virtual Incision

Currently, the robot will be tested on rubber bands. The team of researchers has high hopes for it, because in future large-scale space exploration, such a robot can provide astronauts with assistance outside the Earth.

NASA’s Artemis program, for example, hopes to fly to the moon in 2026 and eventually reach Mars. Such missions are expected to pave the way for the distant future, in which humanity will embark on space journeys to Venus or even beyond the solar system.

Photo: NASA/Virtual Incision

That’s why scientists want to make sure that medical care in space is as advanced as the production of rockets that can take astronauts anywhere. Scientists are working to ensure that astronauts are safe even in an environment to which they are not adapted.

Such surgery can be useful not only to astronomers, but also to the inhabitants of the Earth, researchers say.

“A robot like this could help with telesurgery or remote surgery. Currently, only about 10% of operating rooms are robotic, but we see no reason why they shouldn’t be 100%.” Farritor explained.

Researchers say this is especially important for hospitals in rural or remote areas, where there are fewer specialists and fewer operating rooms.

You can follow the launch of the robot by following the link.

Earlier we wrote that scientists have created a robot that can find lost things.

Vira Shurmakevich, “UP. Life”

Read also: Can be liquid and solid: Scientists have created a shape-shifting humanoid robot

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