TEMPLE, Texas — The International Space Station may soon have a new, somewhat unusual addition to its crew, a small robotic "surgeon".
According to an article by Monisha Ravisetti with Space.com, scientists are planning to launch multiple experiments up to the ISS on Jan. 30, including a two-pound device that could help direct the future of remote medicine.
The device, which according to Ravisetti is about the length of a person's forearm, is set to launch into orbit aboard the company Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft, and is scheduled to arrive at the ISS on Feb. 1.
The machine was reportedly developed by a company called Virtual Incision, and sports two controllable arms, one with a grasper and one with a pair of scissors. The machine is intended to one day be able to communicate with human doctors on Earth to be able to perform medical procedures on astronauts in space, according to Space.com.
The device will reportedly be controlled from Earth for the experiment, as it dissects simulated surgical tissue all the way up in orbit.
The robot won't be operating on any astronauts just yet, it will be tested on rubber bands first, said Space.com, but it could have implications for future space travel as space agencies and private companies set their sights on missions to the moon, Mars or beyond.
Not only could the technology be useful in space, but it could also help doctors here on Earth, said Ravisetti, allowing specialists to operate remotely in different locations, including those where equipment or personnel may be limited.
According to Space.com, Virtual Incision is funded by both NASA and the military.
The robot surgeon is not the only experiment headed to the ISS on the mission however.
Also bound for the station are a robotic arm that could help astronauts perform tasks in unpressurized or dangerous conditions, a 3D printer to test how metal components of electronics or even vehicles could be printed in space, an artificial retina created by the company LambdaVision that hopes to be able to restore sight to people affected by retinal degenerative diseases and more.
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