Japan Surgical Society, Medicaroid Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; Board Director, CEO and President Koji Muneto, hereinafter referred to as "Medicaroid") and NTT Communications Corporation (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Katsushige Kojima, hereinafter "NTT Communications") succeeded in a demonstration of remote surgery between Strasbourg, France and Kobe, Japan by the hinotori^™ Surgical Robot System (hereinafter referred to as "hinotori^™").

A demonstration experiment was conducted in which procedures were remotely performed from the hinotori^™ surgeon cockpit^*1 installed at IRCAD, a robotic training center based in Strasbourg, France. Under the direction of IRCAD founder Prof. Jacques Marescaux^*2, Dr. Armando Melani (Scientific Director of IRCAD América Latina) operated the Surgeon cockpit, with on-site support provided by Japan Surgical Society in Kobe. The operation unit^*1 was located in Kobe and the procedures were executed entirely via remotely.

In this experiment, remote surgery was successfully achieved over a one-way distance of approximately 23,000 kilometers, spanning both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This was made possible by utilizing the hinotori^™ developed by Medicaroid and the high-speed, stable communication network infrastructure provided by NTT Communications.

[Comment from Prof. Jacques Marescaux]
“This achievement transcends mere technological advancement; it embodies a long-held vision. We are breaking down geographical barriers to deliver expert surgical care across the globe. This is the ultimate step toward achieving healthcare equity in surgery”

[Comment from Japan Surgical Society]
“The success of this experiment showed that telesurgery can be useful not only for domestic but also for international medical cooperation. In Japan, it is expected to be useful for equalising surgical procedures and supporting surgeons.”

This achievement was made possible through the collaboration of IRCAD, Japan Surgical Society, Medicaroid, and NTT Communications. The results of this demonstration are expected to contribute to the social implementation of safe and precise remote surgery, as well as to significantly improve global access to medical care. We will continue our efforts toward the realization of international remote surgery.

^*1 About hinotori^™
Developed by Medicaroid, has obtained received regulatory approval in Japan, Singapore, and Malysia, and is undergoing CE-marking process under the Medical Device Regulation (MDR(2027/745))

^*2 About Prof. Jacques Marescaux
Prof. Jacques Marescaux performed the world’s first remote surgery, known as “Operation Lindbergh” between New York and Strasbourg in 2001. Even more than 20 years, he remains a pioneer in the appreciation of technology to minimally invasive surgery.
He also founded IRCAD, an institute dedicated to training in minimally invasive surgery, which has expanded to multiple locations around the worldwide and has trained over 40,000 surgeons from more than 124 countries.