--- title: "Surgical Robot Could Perform Surgeries By Itself on Space Station" description: "A surgical robot called MIRA could be remotely operated or autonomously perform surgery aboard the ISS, and is set to make its space debut in 2024." date: "2022-08-09" modified: "2022-08-09" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/surgical-robot-surgery-space-station" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "autonomous surgical robot" - "international space station" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # Surgical Robot Could Perform Surgeries By Itself on Space Station ![A surgical robot called MIRA could be remotely operated or autonomously perform surgery aboard the ISS, and is set to make its space debut in 2024.]() *\Image: Virtual Incision Corporation\* ## Space Surgery Do astronauts dream of robotic surgery? A remote controlled surgical robot called MIRA — short for Miniaturized In-Vivo Robotic Assistance **—** is set to make its debut aboard the International Space Station sometime in 2024. The robot’s creator, Virtual Incision Corporation, [announced]() the news last week, after signing a contract with NASA. While the surgical robot isn't going to perform surgeries on astronauts any time soon, it could eventually fulfill a crucial purpose. NASA’s Artemis program plans to maintain a cadre of astronauts on or orbiting around the Moon for extended periods of time. That ambitious goal poses all sorts of challenges, including what to do in case of medical emergencies. ## Small But Mighty In the absence of a human surgeon in orbit, MIRA could be remote-controlled by one back on Earth, and even perform surgeries autonomously, according to its makers. But where MIRA has other autonomous robot surgeons beat is the fact that it's absolutely tiny, weighing in at just two pounds. Compared to [other robo-surgery solutions]() that are practically the size of a room, it's a drastic improvement in scale. During its upcoming 2024 test, MIRA will perform precise surgical motions on inanimate objects like cutting rubber bands and manipulating rings on a wire. These tests are intended to help calibrate MIRA to working in low gravity conditions. ## Down to Earth For all its capabilities in space, MIRA’s development could have some life-saving implications back here on Earth as well. If engineers can get robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) tech to work as far out in space at such a small size, health providers could deploy something like a MIRA to remote areas back on the ground that are in dire need of advanced medical care. In other words, if it can perform surgeries hundreds of miles into space, what's stopping us from making use of it in remote areas of the world as well? **More on robots:** [*Driverless Robotaxis To Officially Hit Chinese Streets*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()