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Blake, Wm. For the Sexes- The Gates of Paradise, object 13. 1818.

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Scientists have sent a tiny robot to the International Space Station to perform simulated surgeries in space, with a surgeon back on Earth remotely instructing the device. The experiment will test how zero-gravity impacts surgeries, paving the way for medical procedures in space.

The robot, MIRA, weighs just two pounds. During the experiments, the robot “will use its left arm to grasp, and its right arm to cut, much like a human surgeon in a hospital operating room,” according to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

Besides the possibilities in outer space, the mission could also advance remote surgical techniques in general. This goal is especially significant, as it would help address the projected shortage of up to 30,200 surgical specialists in the U.S. by 2034.