Robotic telesurgery: first cross-border demonstration between France and Germany with haptic feedback over 5G and Wi-Fi 6 networks
At the 2025 meeting of the Surgical Robotics Society (SRS), held in Strasbourg from July 16 to 20, Dr. Alain Garcia, surgeon and researcher at IHU Strasbourg, and Johannes Horsch, representing the Fraunhofer IPA Institute (Germany), presented a unique comparison between 5G and Wi-Fi 6 technologies for image-guided telesurgery procedures with haptic feedback.
The study, unveiled on July 18, focused on a procedure involving robot-assisted, image-guided percutaneous needle implantation on a mannequin. It was conducted between two hybrid operating rooms located 115 kilometers apart, one in Strasbourg and the other in Mannheim, connected by a secure VPN connection.
The system was based on:
- A robotic arm equipped with a force detection motor to provide haptic feedback to the surgeon,
- Remote planning and control via ROS2 and OpenIGTLink standards,
- Local supervision at the patient site to ensure real-time safety.
The results are promising:
- All procedures were successfully completed, both on a private 5G network and Wi-Fi 6,
- Latency times remained within an acceptable range for remote surgery (approximately 42 ms on 5G and 50 ms on Wi-Fi 6).
- Integration into the medical workflow proved seamless.
This collaboration is the first demonstration of telesurgery between France and Germany based on next-generation wireless networks, offering concrete prospects for a future where connectivity will expand access to specialized remote care.
Learn more about the project: www.ipa.fraunhofer.de
