telesurgery

medicine

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Last updated

July 21, 2026

Quick Summary

Telesurgery is a medical field that uses telecommunication technologies to provide healthcare remotely. It allows for remote diagnosis and even surgery, where a specialist can assist a less experienced practitioner during a procedure performed in a distant or hard-to-reach location. This can involve local and remote physicians sharing a virtual space with the patient, enabling the remote physician to examine them.1

Robotic surgery, a related concept, uses doctor-guided machines to perform surgical procedures. While the term "robot" implies automation, robotic surgery still requires significant surgeon skill. Its primary goals are to enable minimally invasive incisions, improve dexterity, and facilitate remote surgery. Early explorations of remote surgery, or telesurgery, were considered by NASA for astronauts and by DARPA for battlefield use. Despite technological advancements, widespread adoption of telesurgery has been limited by factors such as time delays.2

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robotic surgery
Historical developments
…concept of remote surgery, or telesurgery, was explored in the 1970s by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which was interested in its application for astronauts in orbit. The basic idea was that a machine equipped with surgical instruments could be located on a space station and controlled…
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…concept of remote surgery, or telesurgery, was explored in the 1970s by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which was interested in its application for astronauts in orbit. The basic idea was that a machine equipped with surgical instruments could be located on a space station and controlled…
Read More

telemedicine
In telesurgery and telediagnostics, local and remote physicians share the same virtual space with the patient, allowing the remote physician to see and examine the patient. Telecollaboration is the interactive exchange of audiovisual information or conferencing in real time between two or more participants. Several forms…
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In telesurgery and telediagnostics, local and remote physicians share the same virtual space with the patient, allowing the remote physician to see and examine the patient. Telecollaboration is the interactive exchange of audiovisual information or conferencing in real time between two or more participants. Several forms…
Read More