Remote surgery has come a long way since the first-ever case in 2001, when a surgeon in New York City operated on a patient in Strasbourg, France. No longer a product of science fiction, telesurgery’s advance promises to change—and save—countless lives, from patients in remote areas to those in warzones and even in space. Remote-controlled surgical robots even offer potential advantages over traditional surgery, such as potentially reduced infection risk due to physical separation of the surgeon from the patient.
