India tests drone-led surgery system ‘Vimana’ to cut delays in remote areas

• By Shafat Malik
• Comments 0
• 10 Apr 2026

“It could cut delays that cost lives in places like J&K,” doctors say

New Delhi, Apr 09: A new Indian-built system that aims to bring surgery closer to the site of injury, instead of waiting to move patients to hospitals, was unveiled in Delhi on Wednesday.

Developed by SS Innovations International, the platform, called Project Vimana, allows doctors to carry out emergency procedures remotely using robotic arms. The system is designed to be deployed quickly to locations where immediate medical care is not available.

Doctors and officials at the conference said the idea is simple, to start treatment earlier.

In many cases today, especially in difficult terrain, the injured are first stabilised and then moved to hospitals. That journey can take time, and in trauma cases, time often decides survival.

Project Vimana seeks to change that sequence.

According to the company, the system can assist in critical procedures such as controlling bleeding and relieving pressure in chest injuries. Surgeons operate it from a remote command setup.

The system was unveiled at a global robotic surgery conference hosted in the capital, which brought together doctors and experts from India and abroad.

Its possible use in Jammu and Kashmir is already being discussed.

In several parts of J&K, especially along forward areas and in mountainous regions, reaching a hospital can take hours. Roads are limited, weather can block movement, and air evacuation is not always immediate.

Experts said that if such technology is adapted for local conditions, it could help both security forces and civilians.

In remote villages and in areas hit by shelling, landslides, or avalanches, access to advanced care remains uneven.

For SS Innovations International, known for its SSI Mantra surgical robot, the move marks a step beyond hospital-based systems. Company officials said the focus is now on taking surgical care to places where it does not easily reach.

For regions like Jammu and Kashmir, where distance and terrain often slow down response, that shift could make a difference, not in how patients are moved, but in how quickly treatment begins.