Over My Remote Body

Dear Impossible Readers,

We shifted from an efficient home office to a more socially hybrid arrangement, and now we are somehow almost back to being completely brain-dead on-site. And I thought “light bulb”? Nope. What I really thought was Bruce Willis’ Surrogate? How about you?

If you have seen that film, you might recall that the ending was quite lively. But fear thee not. It resonates with us because we already dedicate parts of our lives to remote activities. We shop, work, and even consult doctors via video calls. So, why do we need exobots? Consider an ambulance caught in traffic. Paramedics can stabilise the patient, but what if a trauma surgeon could virtually assist via a robot while the patient is still en route? In disaster zones, a structural engineer could assess and shore up unstable buildings without personal risk. In infectious disease wards, doctors could examine patients physically without exposure. In an increasingly volatile and fast-paced landscape, the gap between science fiction and real-world needs is closing.

The underlying technology for this vision is already in its early stages and advancing quickly. Tele-surgery, where surgeons operate robotic tools remotely, is no longer just theoretical. The first full remote operation occurred in 2001 during the Lindbergh procedure, with a surgeon in New York performing surgery on a patient in France via fibre-optic connection and robotic systems. More recent procedures have connected surgeons and patients over tens of thousands of kilometres, managing latency effectively, including bariatric surgeries between France and India and experimental use of 5G networks to cut control delays. Hospitals have also performed robotic surgeries, such as hernia repairs, from hundreds of kilometres away. These developments are enabled by teleoperation systems that translate a human operator’s movements into robotic actions using high-fidelity control interfaces, stereoscopic vision for depth perception, and haptic/force feedback for tactile sensation. Ongoing research aims to further improve these systems through advanced leader-follower configurations and predictive control algorithms to ensure smooth, secure remote interactions, even in the presence of packet delays or losses.

Nevertheless, real-world exobots face substantial obstacles before they can become broadly feasible. Communication systems must deliver ultra-low, predictable latency, usually under a few tens of milliseconds for precise motor control, often requiring dedicated infrastructure beyond standard internet or 5G. Highly dexterous robotic manipulators capable of mimicking human hand function across various tissues and forces are still under development. Current remote surgeries are limited by imperfect haptic feedback, which can affect how surgeons apply force. Issues such as power supply, sterilisation, redundancy, sensor fusion for stable telepresence, and safety certification raise costs and complexity. Additionally, legal liabilities, jurisdictional credentialing, cybersecurity, and ethical concerns for remote interventions remain unresolved. These challenges are not insurmountable, but they explain why remote surgical teleoperation remains mostly at pilot or specialised stages rather than widespread emergency use, and why future exobots will need advancements in networking, robotics, medicine, and regulation to effectively manage emergency situations.

Presence is the new remote,
Yours Possibly