Ghent: Orsi and Nvidia Unveil World’s First 9,000 km AI-Assisted Surgery

Ghent (Eurotoday) – Ghent’s Orsi Academy (Merelbeke-Melle) and Nvidia have developed an AI tool for surgical training, which analyzes real-time images and assists surgeons. This marks Belgium’s first remote surgery from Ghent to Shanghai (9,000 km). Pieter De Backer was involved.

The Orsi Academy in Ghent, Belgium, has partnered with Nvidia to develop an advanced AI tool for surgical training. This innovative technology debuted at a major international conference, allowing surgeons and medical professionals to engage with an AI-powered chatbot during live procedures. Officials explained that this intelligent system analyzes real-time surgical images and provides tailored explanations to users at all experience levels. 

“We first tested the tool during this congress,” says Pieter De Backer of the Orsi Academy from Merelbeke-Melle.

Is Ghent’s Orsi & Nvidia AI transforming surgery on a global scale?

According to officials, the AI tool developed by Orsi Academy and Nvidia is more than just a source of information.  This groundbreaking system enables trainees and surgeons to ask questions during procedures without interrupting the operation.  

They noted that the AI analyzes live footage and offers insights that enhance decision-making and patient safety. Officials emphasized that this is a significant step in integrating AI into medicine, with potential applications in robotic surgery, diagnostics, and remote education.

“It can certainly be a tool for the team during long operations, and at the same time it helps people in training or patients who have questions afterwards.”

Pieter De Backer, Orsi Academy

The system is designed to understand even a child’s language. In a Belgian first, a long-distance operation was conducted using a robot connected to an operating room in Shanghai, China.  The robot can be controlled from Ghent, Belgium, through a visor, control panel, and pedals.

Officials stated that with a stable internet connection, latency is minimal, allowing specialists to perform precise operations remotely. The initial test was conducted on a chicken leg, as the technology is not yet certified for human procedures.

“We work with nanomaterial over a distance of 9,000 kilometers.”

Pieter De Backer

According to Pieter De Backer, this technology could enable patients in remote areas to receive treatment from top surgeons without the need to travel. It also allows specialists to operate in multiple locations. However, some challenges remain. A strong, reliable internet connection is essential, and researchers are working on solutions to prevent connectivity issues. Additionally, official regulatory approval is required before the technology can be implemented in hospitals.


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Last News

Britain’s Leadership Crisis: A Symptom, Not the Disease

Britain’s Leadership Crisis: A Symptom, Not the Disease

Andy Burnham’s rise to Downing Street No. 10 may buy the Labour Party time. But Britain’s political crisis runs far deeper than personalities, campaign skills or messaging strategies.
The question of whether Andy Burnham would make a better prime minister than Keir Starmer misses the point entirely. Britain’s political crisis runs far deeper than personalities, campaign skills or messaging strate

Read More

Zelenskyy Appoints New Head of Ukraine’s Army

Zelenskyy Appoints New Head of Ukraine’s Army

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared that Mykhailo Drapatyi will become the new commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, succeeding Oleksandr Syrskyi in a significant wartime leadership transition since Russia’s full-scale invasion. The decision, revealed late Tuesday, arrives as Ukraine grapples with maintaining military operations and addressing public concerns about

Read More

Is Everyone Aboard the Burnham Bus?

Is Everyone Aboard the Burnham Bus?

Andy Burnham aims to discuss his new bus fare cap; however, as Sam Coates and Anne McElvoy note, discussing other topics seems unlikely without the Commons in session.
They analyze the funding mechanism for the bus fare plan. Chancellor John Healey claims it won’t burden British taxpayers, but details raise funding concerns.
At the Farnborough Air Show, there’s a chance to discuss defe

Read More

EU Pledge to Ukraine: "Our Support is Unwavering"

EU Pledge to Ukraine: "Our Support is Unwavering"

Modern wars are won “not only by military strength but by drones and cutting-edge technologies.”
So says Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space who was speaking after the European Commission and Ukraine signed a major new defence industrial partnership.
The EU says the move marks a “major step forward” in the integration of the European and Ukrainian defence industries.
The Commiss

Read More

Value of the 2026 World Cup Trophy

Value of the 2026 World Cup Trophy

The World Cup held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico has concluded. The trophy is among the most prestigious in sports, with only a few having the honor to touch it. Typically, this privilege is reserved for the winning players. After the celebrations, the trophy is secured away for good reason.
Officially, the World Cup trophy is crafted from pure gold. It stands 36.5 cm tall and weighs 6

Read More

Drone Strikes by Ukraine Intensify Pressure on Russian Economy

Drone Strikes by Ukraine Intensify Pressure on Russian Economy

The central bank has maintained high interest rates to control inflation, with the key rate at 14.25 percent, amid a widening budget deficit. Businesses face even higher credit costs, exacerbated by competition with the Kremlin for savings.
Initially, Moscow planned to reduce military spending this year, but it has surged, making up nearly half of government spending in the second quarter, accordi

Read More

Everyone Watches Oil While Iran Turns to Maritime Moves.

Everyone Watches Oil While Iran Turns to Maritime Moves.

By Tuesday night, after four consecutive nights of strikes, Iranian missiles and drones continue to target power and desalination infrastructure along Kuwait’s southern coast. The primary target remains the Shuaiba complex, a dense stretch of turbines and water treatment units south of Kuwait City where crews have fought fires across multiple sectors as generating units went dark. Kuwait draws n

Read More

Spain: EIB Group and Santander to unlock €1.43 billion for small businesses and mid-caps, supporting competitiveness, the green transition, and women entrepreneurs

Spain: EIB Group and Santander to unlock €1.43 billion for small businesses and mid-caps, supporting competitiveness, the green transition, and women entrepreneurs

The EIB Group, through the European Investment Bank and the European Investment Fund, is making a significant investment in a new Santander securitisation, which will unlock €1.43 billion for financing small and medium-sized enterprises and mid-caps in Spain. More than €100 million will be directed to women entrepreneurs and businesses primarily owned or managed by women. This initiative aims to

Read More

Zelenskyy Dismisses Top Army Commander Amid Nationwide Protests

Zelenskyy Dismisses Top Army Commander Amid Nationwide Protests

“We will jointly determine an updated strategy of our defense and steps to continue the reform of the corps system, to fulfill the supply requests of combat commanders,” Zelenskyy stated in a national address on Tuesday evening.
He also thanked Syrskyi for successful operations in 2022 in Kyiv and Kharkiv and the 2024 incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
Joint Forces Commander M

Read More

Armand Denis: His Fascinations

Armand Denis: His Fascinations

He would be the first to admit that as a young boy growing up in Antwerp, he had some very strong obsessions. From an early age he was infatuated with the natural world of animals and travel and later in life with film, photography and cultural anthropology. His passions would go a long way into how we view animal welfare, conservation and the environment today. Meet Armand Denis …
Armand Denis

Read More