New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) In a move that could significantly boost emergency care for injured security personnel, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday unveiled indigenous robotic technologies designed to perform life-saving surgeries on the battlefield.
The innovations — Project Vimana and Project Operion — were launched by Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Health Pratap Rao Jadhav at the third edition of the SMRSC Global Robotic Surgery Conference held at Bharat Mandapam here.
Project Vimana, the centrepiece of the launch, is a revolutionary robotic surgical system aimed at bridging the critical “golden hour” between a soldier’s injury and evacuation in high-risk combat zones.
Developed by SS Innovations International (SSII), the system is transported via a heavy-lift autonomous drone to forward combat areas, where trauma surgeons can perform remote-controlled surgeries from a command centre.
“India is fast emerging as a global hub for advanced medical technologies, and innovations showcased at SMRSC 2026 highlight the strength of our indigenous capabilities, with companies like SS Innovations International leading the way,” Jadhav said.
He added that innovations like Project Vimana, Project Operion, and the SSI Avtara humanoid robot reflect the spirit of a new India that is self-reliant in medical technology.
Explaining the technology, SSII founder, chairman and CEO, Dr Sudhir Srivastava, said Project Vimana is equipped with dual seven-degree-of-freedom miniature robotic arms and advanced surgical instruments.
It enables surgeons to carry out life-saving procedures remotely through the SSI Mantra Surgeon Command Centre in high-risk environments.
From haemorrhage control and chest decompression to shrapnel removal and wound repair, the system bridges the critical gap between injury and evacuation, bringing surgical precision to environments where immediate medical access is otherwise impossible, he said.
“This innovation represents a paradigm shift in emergency response, transforming how critical care can be delivered in high-risk, time-sensitive scenarios,” Srivastava said.
Complementing this, Project Operion is a fully mobile, platform-agnostic operating room ecosystem designed for seamless deployment across hospitals, remote locations, and disaster zones, transforming the operating room into a deployable, mission-ready asset.
Built on a wheeled chassis with overhead-integrated robotics and a zero-footprint architecture, it eliminates conventional spatial constraints by suspending all surgical components from an integrated overhead system, he said.
This enables 360-degree clinician access, real-time reconfiguration, and seamless deployment across hospitals, remote locations, and disaster zones, he added.
With integrated telesurgery capabilities and low-latency connectivity, Operion allows expert surgeons to operate remotely, expanding access to advanced surgical care across geographies.
From defence operations to humanitarian missions and rural healthcare delivery, Operion transforms the operating room into a deployable, mission-ready asset, Srivastava said.
The company also showcased SSI Avtara, highlighting the role of humanoid robotic systems in augmenting human capabilities across healthcare, defence, logistics, disaster response and industrial settings, he said.
Talking to reporters, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Rama Krishna Reddy, said the systems could be supplied to the armed forces in a short time once regulatory clearances are obtained.
Srivastava added that robotic surgeries are expected to become increasingly cost-effective for patients in the coming years. PTI MAS RHL
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