Recent Advances in Remote Assisted Medical Operations

The advancement of medical robotics has ushered in new and exciting age for medicine, which could revolutionize surgery, as we know it. Robotics could hold the key to making surgeries safer, more accurate and less invasive, translating to a decreased incidence of wound infection, improved cosmetic outcomes and reducing postoperative pain. In addition, the development of robot-assisted surgery brings with it the possibility of controlling these devices remotely. Surgeons could now use robotics to treat patients from across the world and even beyond, in the comfort of their own surgery using a remote console. This could allow experts to reach the patients who need them most, from a wounded soldier on the battlefield who without immediate surgical assistance would die, astronauts in space requiring medical assistance, to even overseeing and aiding other surgeons in locations that may lack the expertise to carry out difficult operations. Teleportation is seemingly beyond humanities reach, but this could be an excellent compromise. This chapter is dedicated to giving an introduction into remote assisted medical operations, to explore some of the possibilities mentioned above, to delve into the current barriers to medical robotics, and discuss future directions.