French doctor Youness Ahallal performed a successful remote surgery on Nov 16, based in Shanghai and using locally developed and produced Toumai Laparoscopic Surgical Robot System for a prostate cancer patient in Africa.

This surgery was conducted with a bidirectional communication distance exceeding 30,000 kilometers and a one-way latency time of only about 100 milliseconds, setting the world record for the longest-distance remote surgery on a human.

Following the order of the surgeon console in Shanghai, the robotic arm performed all of its tasks with extreme precision. It removed a prostate tumor and finished suturing while preserving the vascular-nerve bundle and maximum length of the urethra.

The doctor said that the application of remote surgery will enable more patients access the skills of top surgeons globally. It will also allow senior doctors to help younger ones perform sophisticated surgeries through remote guidance.

The robotic system was developed by Shanghai MicroPort MedBot (Group) Co Ltd. It is the first domestically approved four-arm laparoscopic surgical robot capable of conducting surgeries in fields such as urology and general surgery.

It features advanced imaging systems with high-definition field of view, 10 times optical zoom, and naked 3D imaging. The system also has seven degrees of freedom, which can neutralize physiological tremors of the operator's hands. The rotated surgical instruments have unparalleled flexibility, precision, and stability compared to human hands.

In May, the surgical robot received European Union CE certification, becoming the only laparoscopic surgical robot of Asia to enter the European market. So far, the robotic system has assisted in more than 250 cases of 5G ultra-remote surgery with approved levels of safety and stability.

He Chao, founder and president of the company, said that the surgery did not utilize the 5G network for this surgery. Instead, both the remote and local ends connected via regular broadband networks.

"As long as the network is configured properly, a regular network can meet our requirements for conducting remote robotic surgeries," He said.

Source: Shanghai Observer