"Remote Control of Seoul Surgical Robot from Jeju"... Roen Surgical Demonstrates Kidney Stone Removal

First successful demonstration of remote surgery using a domestically developed robot across 450 km
Recreated the full process, from endoscope insertion to laser lithotripsy and stone extraction

A technology has been developed that allows a surgical robot located in Seoul to be operated remotely from Jeju using a domestically developed surgical robot. The entire kidney stone surgery process was performed remotely between locations about 450 kilometers apart across the sea, demonstrating the technology's potential to improve access to healthcare in island and mountainous areas.

Medical staff from Jeju Jungang Hospital and employees of Roen Surgical pose for a commemorative photo after successfully demonstrating Jamenix's Jeju-Seoul remote surgery technology on the 11th. Roen Surgical

Roen Surgical, a surgical robot platform company, announced on November 12 that it had successfully demonstrated remote surgery technology between Jeju and Seoul using its kidney stone surgery robot, Zamenix, in collaboration with Jeju Jungang Hospital.

The demonstration was held as part of the "Zamenix Remote Surgery Technology Demonstration" event, which is taking place from November 10 to 13. Park Geon-hyeon, head of the Department of Urology at Jeju Jungang Hospital, operated the surgeon console at the hospital in Iho-dong, Jeju City, to remotely control the surgical robot installed at Roen Surgical's office in Gasan-dong, Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, about 450 kilometers away in a straight line.

However, this was a research technology demonstration, not remote surgery performed on an actual patient. It was conducted using Vital Uro, a urological endoscopic surgery simulator developed by Roen Surgical.

The research team remotely inserted an endoscope to locate a stone, fragmented it with a laser, and then aspirated and extracted it using suction, recreating the entire kidney stone surgery process. Zamenix carried out the procedure in the remote setting by integrating and controlling on a single platform a 3-millimeter-diameter flexible endoscopic robot and surgical instruments, including a basket and laser fiber.

Zamenix's proprietary robotic techniques also operated normally in the remote setting, including its "respiratory compensation" function, which compensates for movement caused by breathing, and its "autopilot" function, which assists with endoscope movement. The company said the demonstration, which lasted about one hour, concluded without network instability or emergency control intervention.

The demonstration was also significant because a regional medical institution participated as the operator of the remote surgery technology. Jeju Jungang Hospital became the first medical institution in Jeju to adopt Zamenix in April. Because Jeju is an island, patients there who need complex surgery have often had to travel to hospitals on the mainland.

Building on this demonstration, Roen Surgical plans to further develop the technology required for remote surgery, accumulate related data and experience, and launch new products for remote surgery. It also intends to use the demonstration results as proof of concept as it enters remote healthcare markets in the Middle East, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other parts of Southeast Asia.

Roen Surgical also plans to strengthen strategic ties with global healthcare networks, building on an agreement signed in June with U.S.-based Sovato, which is working to establish a global remote surgery ecosystem.

"The master console's controls and the actual robot's movements operated in sync so seamlessly that we could hardly sense the distance between Jeju and Seoul," said Park Geon-hyeon. "Experiencing Zamenix's precision remote control firsthand made me realize that medical innovation is becoming a reality, allowing Jeju residents to benefit from cutting-edge precision robotic surgery."

권동수, CEO of Roen Surgical, said, "I hope this first research technology demonstration of remote surgery using a domestically developed surgical robot will mark the starting point for remote surgery research in Korea. We will continue to refine the technology so Zamenix can break new ground in the borderless market for precision remote healthcare."

Zamenix is a kidney stone surgery robot that has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance. In Korea, it was designated the 17th Innovative Medical Device in 2021 and has been approved by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for non-reimbursed use as an innovative medical technology. It has been adopted by 23 hospitals in Korea and one institution overseas.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.