In-space surgery: impact of robotic technology on future exploration missions

Human space flight projects have always been cost demanding due to the increased security measures required to keep the astronauts safe. The continuous development of robotic technology still does not allow us to completely replace humans; however we can provide them with additional support not only throughout the exploration tasks, but also in maintenance, life support and space medicine. Teleoperated surgical robotic systems offer a technological solution to replace or greatly enhance the capabilities of flight surgeon on board of any spacecraft. High fidelity intervention, better health care support and patient care can be achieved. There are several limitations of these systems at present, but already capable of surpassing conventional methods. In addition to presenting the most advanced systems, the paper gives a survey of the most important technological limitations and outlines the concept of a future robotic support mission.