Remote surgery performed on pig 9,000 km away via game controller

Chinese and Swiss doctors conducted the world’s first remote surgery on a pig model using a PlayStation 5 controller. 

A remote specialist in Zurich, Switzerland, performed the procedure 9,300 km away in a Hong Kong operating room. Meanwhile, a clinician was in the room to assist.

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Their success demonstrates how this cutting-edge technology could enable remote areas to access surgical treatment. 

How did the remote surgery work?

Researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) performed this novel procedure.

They call it in vivo gastroscopy. The UK’s National Health Services defines gastroscopy as “a test to check inside your upper digestive system.”

“In vivo” means “inside of a living organism.” Consequently, the remote surgery involved instruments that entered the porcine model.

Doctors have been performing robotic surgeries for years. However, this procedure stands out because the surgeon performed it thousands of miles away from the patient. 

The video above shows how the researchers conducted the remote surgery. 

It features Dr. Shannon Chan, an assistant professor in the Division of Upper Gastrointestinal & Metabolic Surgery of CU Medicine, operating a PS5 controller to look into the swine model.

The game console controller bends the endoscope inside the pig model, letting her see inside. Consequently, the research team says the experiment’s success shows doctors can perform remote surgeries on humans.

News outlet New Atlas reports their ultimate goal is to help patients in remote areas where experts may not be available. Even better, they might develop ways to provide surgeries to astronauts in space while on Earth.

“Teleoperated endoscopy offers not only remote surgical training and mentoring but also immediate diagnostic and surgical care in remote areas, particularly when local expertise is lacking,” said Chan.

“A remote expert can even instruct trained nurses to perform the procedures. Millions of patients worldwide will be able to be diagnosed and treated for gastrointestinal cancer in a timely manner as endoscopic technology becomes more accessible.”