The surgical team in Qingdao conducts remote surgery on a patient 3,000 kilometers away using a surgical robot and live system. [Photo/ddcpc.cn]

A surgical team from Qingdao in East China's Shandong province successfully completed a remote surgery using a surgical robot on Sept 24. The patient was located in Anshun, Southwest China's Guizhou province.

Utilizing 5G technology, professor Niu Haitao from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, conducted the surgery for free, as the patient – who was diagnosed with bladder cancer – was from a poverty-stricken area.

The surgical robot can reproduce doctors' operations accurately to remove focal lesions. At the same time, the 5G live system allows doctors and patients to interact in real-time with zero delays, ensuring a surgery's success.

All of the equipment and technology involved in the surgery was developed domestically.

The successful surgery marks the further application of 5G and artificial intelligence in remote medical operations, helping balance medical resources between East and West China.