Advances in space technology to aid remote surgical care in healthcare industry: Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai
The advancements in space technology have given hope to the healthcare industry. An amalgamation of the two can provide high-quality surgical care to patients around the world without any geographic barriers, eventually leading to easy access, said Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, member, Board of Directors, SS Innovations and former programme director, Chandrayaan-2 and Mars Orbiter Mission or Mangalyaan, ISRO.
When humans were put into space or the moon, the health of the astronauts is of utmost importance. Monitoring an astronaut’s and the support staff’s health condition in space, extending timely attention to a medical condition warrants immediate action and that too remotely, relying on radio waves sent by the space shuttle. It is this learning that has probably spurred the healthcare sector to think of remote surgeries and ways and means to harness technology to overcome the drawbacks to deliver the best and qualitative healthcare in real-time, he added.
As scientists, we put many missions into space, and we operate spacecrafts and moon crafts (for e.g. Pragyan) which is about 3,84,000 kms away, sitting here on the ground and navigating it. Similarly, we hit upon the question – is it possible for a surgeon to sit in a metro city connecting to a remote town or a village where there is a healthcare requirement? The learning from space technology needs to be replicated in the healthcare sector in the real world, which is the need of the hour. Space technology and healthcare have a lot of interconnectivities. Healthcare can leverage from space technology on how remote connectivity can be leveraged to deliver optimum healthcare facilities to the farthest parts of the country without any loss of time, Dr Annadurai told Pharmabiz.
The key to everything remote is high-speed internet connectivity. Be it healthcare, communication, education, or entertainment, today’s digital age relies on reliable high-speed internet connectivity. Low-latency communication, which is commonly used in areas such as online gaming and financial trading, can be extended to remote robotic surgery to improve real-time interaction for immediate responses and synchronized actions, he said.
Implementing remote surgeries can be learnt from space technology. For instance, during the recent lunar exploration, the earth communicates with the lunar vehicle through radio waves that travel at the speed of light. Similarly, high-speed internet connectivity between two connected devices at the same time can enable real-time diagnosis and even surgeries, remotely, without any delays. With the advent of 5G technology, communication speed is bound to witness a paradigm shift, making zero-delay remote surgeries a reality soon.
Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can greatly increase the probability and success of remote surgeries. Haptic feedback systems can be integrated into surgical robots to provide the surgeons with tactile sensations or vibrations to enhance their interaction and experience, which can be similar to traditional surgery. AI algorithms can also help in real-time image analysis, identifying anomalies, and providing decision support to the surgeon, he noted.
“Remote robotic surgery is a marriage between the multidisciplinary, advanced R&D efforts of healthcare and engineering. To get maximum advantage from surgical robotic equipment in remote surgeries, it would be best to provide in-depth training for health care professionals to understand the use of the device accurately and engage engineers who have immense knowledge of man and machine,” stated Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai.
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