Armed with VR goggles, a tablet, and 5G networks, physicians in Italy have performed a virtual surgery from 10 miles away as medical technology keeps adapting to the time of today, and tomorrow

Via Inverse:

“While some may remember, the first telesurgery was completed almost twenty-years ago in 2001 — efforts in this field have been long stagnated by slow robotic and communication networks advances.”

With recent events calling for the need of a socially distant surgery, On the surgeon’s end, they used VR goggles for a clear 3D visualization of the operation and controlling their tools

Their tools being controlled via a tablet and a haptic feedback device.

For the patient (a cadaver for medical research) the surgery was carried out via laser system, a robotic arm, and a 3D camera

“The system we developed and demonstrated in the 5G telesurgery scenario is still a proof-of-concept prototype. As such, it is still limited in many ways,” says Leonardo Mattos, the lead on the study and Head of the Biomedical Robotics Laboratory

As the medical industry reeled over shortages of material, and several life saving supplies, advancements such as these are exactly what’s needed to propel the industry to a place where it’s more than just profitable, but delivering on what it’s mean to – prolonging healthy lives

Here’s to escaping average