Virtual reality telepresence system for the treatment of wounded soldiers

A remote-controlled robotic medical system for the military, which is being developed at a British university.

When you think of robots roaming military terrain, you might have images very similar to sci-fi battlefields with AI machines firing lasers. But the reality is quite different. In a human-centric app, British researchers are developing a medical system that could save many lives, something like a video sorting system through virtual reality.

Remote controlled robotic medical system for the military

Scientists from the University of Sheffield are working on a telepresence system that can serve military personnel during combat. The goal is to allow out-of-office doctors to put on virtual reality headsets and control the robot in the field. The device can take life constants from the patient using the same technologies as in robotic surgery.

Now wounded soldiers often have to go to doctors with limited resources. These ambulance crews often do their job at great risk to themselves (and if contagious disease or contamination is present, endangering others). If a patient requires additional assistance, it can take hours or even days to move them to a safe place with the necessary resources.

Project in development at a British university

This telepresence system will allow medical professionals to work remotely, using the robot to obtain critical data such as a patient’s temperature or blood pressure. For example, machines can take samples of oral mucosa or blood from a patient’s arm. In addition, they could send photos and videos of injuries to doctors, allowing them to better assess the situation, perhaps make a diagnosis, and perhaps even treat the patient remotely.

Project co-leader Sanya Dogramaji, professor in the Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering at the University of Sheffield, sees this as a life-saving measure. “The development of a remotely controlled robotic system will significantly improve safety by reducing the danger faced by military medical personnel on the front lines. Our platform uses state-of-the-art technology and will integrate like never before.”