A device characterized as the world's first miniaturized robotic-assisted surgery platform is set to be tested in space, the Lincoln Journal Star reported Aug. 2.
The miniaturized in vivo robotic assistant, or "MIRA," was developed by Virtual Incision and weighs just 2 pounds, according to the company website.
NASA awarded the University of Nebraska-Lincoln $100,000 through the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research to prepare the robot for a test mission in 2024 to the International Space Station.
"It's going to be very exciting and very fun," Shane Farritor, PhD, co-founder of Virtual Incision, told the Lincoln Journal Star. "We hope to make our own little splash, and I think it will be an interesting experience."