Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

An experienced Chinese medical team on Friday successfully completed a groundbreaking remote robotic surgical operation at a frontier practical conference.

Led by Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) academician Zhang Xu, also the urology department director at the Third Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, the Chinese medical team carried out the operation simultaneously in Rome, capital of Italy and Beijing, capital of China.

The two places are about 8,100 kilometers apart, with the two-way communication distance exceeding 20,000 kilometers.

While Zhang was skillfully operating a self-developed remote surgical robot in Rome, in an operating room of the Third Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) General Hospital, the surgical robot received remote information instructions from Zhang and executed them precisely on a prostate cancer patient to remove the lesion. "The biggest problem with a remote surgery is communication -- whether there is any delay. During today's surgery, there was almost no delay, and it was almost the same as an on-site surgery," said Zhang.

"To me, it was a really, a historical experience, a historical moment. The fact that he was able to do it in Rome makes us very, very happy," said Vito Pansadoro, chairman of Challenges in Laparoscopy, Robotics and AI, the frontier field conference.

Zhang said that the remote surgery is a systematic innovation brought about by the cross-integration of new technologies and new concepts, and is of great significance for remote treatment in future battlefield environments and disaster-stricken areas.

In the next step, China will apply the research direction to military field medical services to better protect officers and soldiers stationed in remote areas, according to Zhang.

"Through the remote surgery, we can project the most advanced medical resources to the front line in real time," Zhang said.

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

Chinese team conducts pioneering remote surgery between Beijing, Rome

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the country's military not to carry out new airstrikes on Iran on Friday, breaking a streak of attacks that had continued for 13 consecutive days, Axios reported Saturday.

Citing two people familiar with the matter, the media report said that over the past two weeks Trump had approved military strike plans nearly every afternoon, with operations typically executed within hours. On Friday, however, Trump did not sign off on a similar plan and instead directed the military to stand down.

Axios said the pause signaled Trump's willingness to create more space for diplomatic efforts, while reflecting an assessment that the current level of airstrikes may have limited additional impact unless the U.S. escalates its campaign against Iran to a broader level.

The media report added that the U.S. military is still preparing plans for a possible return to large-scale operations, but that Trump has not made a decision.

Axios also reported that just hours before Trump ordered the pause on Friday, an Omani delegation arrived in Iran to discuss new arrangements for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. According to two regional sources, Axios noted, these negotiations have already made progress, and an agreement between Oman and Iran could potentially be reached over the weekend.

Meanwhile, Trump has signaled that the United States' next steps could hinge on whether the ongoing behind-the-scenes negotiations with Iran could revive diplomatic efforts and bring an end to the war.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, he said the United States and Iran are in talks and that he believes Tehran is getting "more serious." However, he also warned that U.S. forces could intensify military action if necessary.

Trump ordered halt to Friday's strikes on Iran: media