Remote surgery goes mainstream China's Toumai robot wins EU approval after a London doctor operates on a patient 1,500 miles away

Date:
Sat, 27 Jun 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Chinese firm MedBot has achieved EU approval for its teleoperated surgery robot its use by a London surgeon to operate on a patient 1,500 miles away in Gibraltar.

Shanghai Microport MedBots Toumai is a three-part remote surgery system that allows doctors and surgeons to perform operations on the abdomen and pelvis. The system is composed of a surgeon console, patient cart, and vision cart, with robotic limbs allowing operators to perform operations. The system uses 5G connectivity to connect the surgeon console to the vision cart over long distances.

The approval follows Toumais successful use by a London surgeon to perform
the UKs first long-distance teleoperated surgery, a full prostate removal on
a man with prostate cancer in Gibraltar.

Dr. Proskar Dasgupta performed the operation using the teleoperated system on 62-year old Paul Buxton in March 2026. Speaking to the BBC , Buxton said it was a no-brainer to take part in the experimental procedure and become part
of medical history. Gibraltar, a
small UK territory just south of Spain, has a single hospital within its borders, meaning residents may need to travel 1,500 miles north to the UK for more complex procedures.

However, Toumai and remote surgery systems like it allow patients to be treated by experts without traveling to meet them. Dr. Dasgupta said to the BBC that he felt almost as if I was there while conducting Mr. Buxtons procedure.

On June 22, Shanghai Microport MedBot announced that the Toumai robotic surgery system had received the CE Mark an EU stamp of approval required to sell products in its common market

As South China Morning Post reports, this allows the system to be "moved and marketed" freely in the EU, meaning the company is free to offer Toumai to healthcare providers in any of the EUs 27 member states.

This will be welcome news for MedBot, which made 73 per cent of its revenue from overseas sales in 2025, up from 20 per cent in 2023.

Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/tech/remote-surgery-goes-mainstream-chinas-toumai-ro bot-wins-eu-approval-after-a-london-doctor-operates-on-a-patient-1-500-miles-a way

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* Origin: SFnet Mission Control (42:17/1)