China collaborates with Huawei to perform its first 5G remote brain surgery

Back in February during the Mobile World Congress, a doctor performed world’s first 5G surgery through live video. Now, China too collaborated with Huawei and China Mobile to perform a 5G surgery for treating Parkinson’s disease.

For the first time in China, along with China Mobile and Huawei’s 5G facility, a Chinese surgeon remotely operated on the brain of a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease some 3,000km away via 5G technology.

The surgery was performed by Ling Zhipei, chief physician at China’s PLA General Hospital (PLAGH). During the three-hour-long operation, Zhipei manipulated the surgical instruments with micron precision on a computer through 5G network and then implanted a deep brain stimulation (DBS) device in the patient’s brain to help control Parkinson’s symptoms, reported China Daily.

Doctor performs first ever 5G surgery via live video

The operation turned out to be a great success and the patient responded positively saying, “I feel good,” wrote Interesting Engineering.

“The 5G network has solved problems like video lag and remote control delay experienced under the 4G network, ensuring a nearly real-time operation. And you barely feel that the patient is 3,000 kilometers away,” said Zhipei.

According to Zhipei, in the future, high-quality and high-level experts from superior hospitals will be able to operate remotely and directly on patients in far-flung areas or in disaster situations through remote 5G surgeries, and will be able to complete operations that were previously difficult to finish at the grassroots-level hospitals.