Kyushu University, the Japan Surgical Society, NTT docomo Business, NTT Innovative Devices, and others are connecting Kyushu University Hospital (Fukuoka City) and Kyushu University Hospital Beppu Hospital (Beppu City, Oita Prefecture)—located approximately 110 kilometers apart—via “IOWN APN” to conduct a demonstration experiment on the remote operation of a microsurgery support robot currently under development by Kyushu University. This marks the world’s first demonstration of remotely operating a microsurgery support robot utilizing APN technology.
In addition to the remote operation of the robot, the demonstration will evaluate remote guidance using “annotation technology,” which allows instructions drawn over the surgical video feed to track organ movements and screen magnification in real time.
The project involves upgrading a microsurgery support robot—originally developed by F-MED, a Kyushu University spin-off venture—to enable remote operation; researchers will operate the robot installed at Beppu Hospital from Kyushu University Hospital to verify the feasibility of suturing fine blood vessels.

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