Unveiled the interplanetary doctor robot that will work for NASA

The MIRA Doctor Robot is an advanced surgical system powered by mobile microrobots (RAS) intended to work at the International Space Station (ISS).

Professor Shane Farritor and colleagues at the University of Nebraska Innovation Facility (UNL) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (NIC-USA) and the technology company Virtual Incision developed MIRA with the main objective of serving mission future interplanetary travel.

These missions will require astronauts to stay in space for a long time, as NASA's plans to conquer the Moon and Mars both aim for a few months of shelter.

A close-up of a hand of the "doctor robot" MIRA has just been revealed by researchers

Not to mention, more ambitious plans for space colonization have been taken into account by space agencies, private space companies, and scientists, including "vacation" trips to outer space. space or even live a long time.

This poses many challenges, including the ability to provide medical services, especially for complex procedures, such as operations that on Earth still require the cooperation of many specialties or coordination. inter-institutional association.

So the plan to create a robotic "interplanetary surgeon" was kicked off with a $100,000 grant from NASA.

MIRA is a multi-purpose machine. As with other surgical robots, it can still be controlled by a local physician, but is more optimal than direct surgery, as MIRA instruments including RASs can be inserted through incisions Small size, allowing doctors to perform minimally invasive operations, to increase safety for an outer space environment that does not have many conditions to support medical procedures and solve complications like on Earth.

Also this technology could enable telemedicine. On Earth, this technology has been successfully tested to help remote surgeons for people who are stuck in medical service shortages where surgery requires more specialist intervention than surgery. medical force available there.

However, MIRA technology has the added benefit of being able to perform operations autonomously, which means that astronauts serving on the Moon and Mars can receive medical care without the need for a doctor. The surgeon is there.

In August 2021, MIRA helped doctors perform the first successful telesurgery as part of a clinical study under the Investigative Devices Waiver (IDE) Program from the Food Administration. and United States Drug Administration (FDA). The patient was in the navy and had part of his colon removed with a single incision.

Over the next year, bringing MIRA to work on the ISS will be rolled out.