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A New Technological Approach to Robotic Telesurgery with Starlink: Safe Telesurgery
Yuichiro Ueda1, Takahiro Kanno2, Toshihiko Sato1
1Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Breast and Pediatric Surgery, Fukuoka University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan.
Purpose:
This study aimed to perform the world's first robot-assisted telesurgery for lung resection in an animal model using Starlink (SpaceX) to address cost and latency issues associated with conventional telesurgery communication methods.
Description:
A Saroa (Riverfield Inc) surgical robot with haptic feedback function was used in a swine model. The animal was located 1000 km away in Fukushima, Japan, while the surgeon console was located in Fukuoka, Japan. Starlink provided real-time video and data communication. Surgical parameters including safety, latency, and cost were evaluated.
Evaluation:
The surgery was completed in 2 hours 44 minutes. Average communication latency was approximately 130 milliseconds, with minor image disturbances occurring once every 5 minutes, potentially due to satellite switching or weather conditions. Despite these interruptions, the surgery was conducted safely.
Conclusions:
The successful performance of this telesurgery highlights the potential of low-cost and low-latency satellite communication systems to overcome barriers in telesurgery. These findings pave the way for broader telesurgery applications, particularly in underserved regions, and set the stage for further technical and clinical advancements in remote robotic surgery.
