[HIGHLIGHTS] A robot surgeon located in the ISS controlled for the first time from Earth

A robot surgeon located in the ISS controlled for the first time from Earth. Controlled remotely by surgeons, the robot successfully tested standard operating techniques in space.

Surgery in space could become necessary to treat medical emergencies during multi-year manned voyages, for example to Mars. These advances could also help develop remote surgery on Earth, benefiting remote areas lacking surgeons. The robot, developed by the company Virtual Incision and the University of Nebraska, is called spaceMIRA. He took off for the International Space Station (ISS) at the end of January, aboard a SpaceX rocket.