Long-distance operators sign of the times

A successful prostate removal surgery on a patient in Beijing carried out by robotic arms remotely controlled by a doctor in Rome on June 7 is an example of the reach of technology in the medical sector.

Compared with on-site surgery, the success of the remotely controlled surgery by Zhang Xu from the PLA General Hospital hinged largely on the smooth transfer of data. The distance between Beijing and Rome is over 8,000 kilometers, while the bidirectional communication range for the doctor to receive immediate images from the patient and send orders back to the robotic arms is over 20,000 kms. It takes 66.67 milliseconds for signals to travel back and forth at the approximate speed of light.

A lot depends on the clarity of images transferred in this manner to the doctor 8,000 kms away. The images need to be of high resolution and yet small in size, so they are transmitted smoothly without delay.