NASA is funding a mini-surgical robot dubbed MIRA (miniaturised in-vivo robotic assistant) and sending it on a 2024 test mission aboard the International Space Station.
The space agency has allocated $100,000 to Virtual Incision, a start-up based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Nebraska Innovation Campus, where Shane Farritor, a UNL professor of engineering, and his team have spent more than 15 years developing it.
The technology boasts two key benefits – small enough for minimally invasive surgery and remote capabilities.
The robot underwent rigorous tests and software configurations to prepare for autonomous operations aboard the ISS.
Once on board, MIRA will perform tasks simulating surgical procedures, such as cutting stretched rubber bands and manipulating metal rings along a wire.
MIRA’s significance lies in its potential to revolutionise space medicine and marks a significant step towards enhancing medical capabilities in space.
Its compact size allows for minimally invasive procedures. At the same time, its remote operation capability opens the door for astronauts on long-duration missions, such as those to Mars, to receive critical medical care without relying solely on Earth-based expertise.
Shane Farritor envisions a future where MIRA could be deployed to perform surgical procedures on astronauts in deep space and includes scenarios such as appendicectomies on manned missions to Mars.
He said: ‘As people go further and deeper into space, they might need surgery someday. We’re working towards that goal. The more advanced part of our experiment will control the device from here in Lincoln, Nebraska, and dissect simulated surgical tissue in orbit.’
While fully autonomous functionality may be decades away, MIRA’s current programming prioritises conserving communication bandwidth and minimising astronauts’ involvement in the surgical process.
A notable earlier experiment involved retired NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson remotely directing MIRA to perform surgery-like tasks from a facility 900 miles away. This successful demonstration underscores the potential for MIRA to operate under remote guidance, a capability crucial for future missions beyond Earth’s orbit.
As MIRA prepares for its ISS debut, anticipation mounts within the medical and space communities for the advancements it may herald.
With numerous space missions planned, the need for innovative solutions in space medicine has never been more apparent.
