The robot is small in size but its aspirations are out of this world — literally.
MIRA, which stands for miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant, recently became the first surgical robot at the International Space Station.
The tiny robot, which weighs about 2 pounds, arrived at the space station on Feb. 1. Over the next few weeks, the robotic assistant will practice operating in zero gravity.
Developers plan to use MIRA to conduct a surgical simulation via remote-controlled technology, with a surgeon directing its movements 250 miles away from Nebraska.
“The tasks mimic surgical tissue with tension that allows a dissection to be performed,” a University of Nebraska release explained. The robot “will use its left arm to grasp, and its right arm to cut, much like a human surgeon in a hospital operating room.”
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