A flaw in robots designed to perform surgery has been found that lets them be easily hacked , according to researchers . The experts were able to take control of a so-called telerobot during surgery by exploiting a simple programming trick . This enabled them to change the speed of the arms of the robot and change their orientation , making it impossible for the machines to carry out a procedure as directed . Researchers at the University of Washington studied the telerobot Raven II ( shown ) . They found that robots designed for surgery could be 'easily ' hacked in to . This is because they are operated over public networks which allowed the researchers to access them and stop them working . The research was carried out by scientists at the University of Washington by toying with a product from their own university - the Raven II teleoperated robotical surgeon . Teleoperation means an operator can use the robot remotely , through a control console . The first telesurgery took place in 2001 with a surgeon in New York successfully removing the gall bladder of a patient in France , more than 3,730 miles ( 6,000km ) away . The communications ran over a dedicated fiber provided by a telecommunications company . But this is an expensive option since such fibers can cost tens of thousands of dollars . Since then , surgeons have carried out remote operations and begun to experiment with ordinary communications links over the web , which are significantly cheaper . Although there are no recorded incidents in which the communications infrastructure has caused problems during a telesurgery operation , there are still questions over security and privacy , said the experts . Source : MIT Technology Review . In the case of Raven II , a remote operator users two long and thin arms to perform complex procedures where otherwise their hands might not be capable . While this experiment was performed in a controlled environment and not on the operating table , the researchers said it 's clear more stringent security measures are needed . Raven II runs on a single PC , and communicates with a control console using a standard communications protocol known as Interoperable Telesurgery Protocol . But rather than take place over a secure private network , this takes place over public networks . ‘ Due to the open and uncontrollable nature of communication networks , it becomes easy for malicious entities to jam , disrupt , or take over the communication between a robot and a surgeon , ’ said the researchers . In their test , the experts performed various types of cyberattack to see how easily it could be disrupted . This included changing the commands sent by an operator to the robot , modifying signals or hijacking - completely taking over - the robot . And they were also able to ‘ easily stop the robot from ever being properly reset , thus effectively making a surgical procedure impossible. ’ While this experiment was performed in a controlled environment and not on the operating table ( stock image pictured ) , the researchers said it is clear more stringent security measures are needed . During the experiment , an operator was asked to move blocks onto different pegs ( shown ) with the robot , but when the 'hackers ' took control , the task proved difficult - or impossible . The researchers note that while their test applies only to Raven II , other surgical robots that use similar teleoperation were likely also at risk . ‘ Some of these attacks could have easily been prevented by using well-established and readily-available security mechanisms , including encryption and authentication , ’ the researchers note . We believe that presented concerns are not unique to teleoperated surgery , but are common to all teleoperated robots . ‘ Because of the wide variety of physical and digital capabilities these systems wield , telerobotic security needs to become front-and-centre. ’ The findings are published in the paper : To Make a Robot Secure : An Experimental Analysis of Cyber Security Threats Against Teleoperated Surgical Robots on arXiv .
researchers at the University of technology studied so - called telerobots . They found robots designed for robots could be hacked and manipulated . This is because robots being tested were distributed over public computers . It allowed the user to access them and stop them working .