Researchers from ETH, Durich and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have succeeded for the first time in performing a magnetic endoscopy on a live pig using a remote control.
Using a video game controller, a team in Switzerland successfully performed remote endoscopic surgery on the pig in Hong Kong, over 9,000km (5,780 miles) away.
The procedure paves the way for future remote surgery on humans, especially in areas where specialised medical expertise is scarce.
This breakthrough was made possible not only by a secure and fast Internet connection but also by a magnetic navigation system and a magnetic endoscope developed at ETH Zurich, which were used in the operating room in Hong Kong.
Remote procedures aren’t entirely new – many common surgeries today already involve doctors relying on camera feeds and control consoles.
However, this innovative study, a collaboration between scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and ETH Zurich, has extended the possibilities to an entirely new level.
Utilising a robotic system with a magnetic endoscope, the surgeons in Zurich could control the equipment in Hong Kong in real-time through a WebSocket connection.
A PlayStation 3 Move wand enabled Swiss surgeons to navigate the endoscope precisely, guiding it inside the pig’s body with a live video feed.
The magnetic endoscope, embedded with magnets along its length, could be steered remotely by manipulating the external magnetic field.
The team successfully manoeuvred the endoscope to perform a U-turn and even obtained a tissue biopsy from the pig’s stomach lining while maintaining a latency of fewer than 300 milliseconds – quick enough to allow for a real-time response from the surgeon.
This successful experiment marks a significant step forward in remote medical procedures, demonstrating that distance need not be a barrier to surgical care.
Here is a video of the procedure. It shows Alexandre Mezzo, a researcher from ETH Zurich, performing the remote operation in Hong Kong from an office in Zurich.
