The thought of a hacker invading the operating room is terrifying. And yet, that's exactly what researchers in the US have proven with experiments that have managed to hack surgical robots.
Researchers at the University of Washington's BioRobotics Laboratory in Seattle, led by electrical engineer Tamara Bonacci and professor Howard Cizek, carried out cyberattacks on a robot surgeon (specifically the new-generation Raven II surgical robotic system), which was remotely controlled by doctors.
The engineers' goal was to show, on the one hand, that it is not at all unlikely that a surgical operation could fall victim to malicious hackers in the future, and on the other hand, to look for ways to make remote-controlled robotic doctors safer.
These robots are expected to become much more widespread in the coming years. Already, there have been a few experimental tele-surgery operations, where the surgeon is in another location (he could even be on the other side of the world thanks to the internet) and the robot takes on the “dirty” work, constantly receiving instructions.
Currently, robots are commonly used in operating rooms with the doctor in the same room, but as the years go by, the trend will be for doctors to move away from the operating table. This raises the crucial issue of the safety of robotic surgeries, as they will be performed via an online connection.
American researchers have shown that it is not that difficult for a hacker to penetrate and create (potentially dangerous) interference in telesurgery. The experiments were certainly not conducted on people who could be exposed to risks.
The well-intentioned hackers managed to block a number of functions of the robot surgeon, such as grasping surgical instruments. They also forced it to refuse to obey the remote medical commands it received, and now do "its own thing.".
In some cases, human operators were able to fix the problem, but in others they were not. Given that, as the researchers point out, in a surgical room, the slightest deviation in precision can cost the patient's life, the potentially serious consequences are understandable.
The Raven II robotic system, developed by Applied Dexterity Inc., a spin-off of the University of Washington, has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is currently only used for research purposes and not in hospitals.
Surgical robots that have already been approved by the FDA for clinical use help surgeons remove tumors, repair heart valves or perform other minimally invasive medical procedures. They typically use secure communication channels, not over public networks, but over private ones that are more difficult for hackers to breach.
However, according to the researchers, in the future robotic surgeons will certainly be called upon to perform operations over insecure public networks, e.g. in areas hit by a natural disaster or epidemic. Therefore, they insist that these robotic systems must incorporate additional cybersecurity systems, such as "biometric signatures" of the operator-surgeon, so that the robot recognizes him and accepts commands only from him.
Source: iefimerida.gr
