Programme 4 · Medical research

A first at the bottom of the world — now bound for India’s villages

Support Experiment 2 of the Indian-built tele-robotic ultrasound that let doctors in New Delhi scan a patient in Antarctica. Pura Foundation is its sole sponsor for the next 18 months.

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A world first, built in India

In early 2026, doctors at AIIMS New Delhi guided a robotic arm to carry out live ultrasound scans at Maitri, India’s research station in Antarctica, more than 12,000 km away — the first known tele-robotic diagnostic system at an Antarctic research station anywhere in the world.

What Experiment 2 is

The next stage of ViTachyon Robotics’ India–Antarctica ultrasound module: 18 months of research building the evidence the technology needs before it can be licensed for use in rural India, where a radiologist is often a day’s journey away.

Why Pura Foundation

We were the only foundation to come forward, and we are the experiment’s sole sponsor, with the trust’s own funds already committed. Your gift adds to that commitment and is spent only on Experiment 2.

Where it stands

This is research. The system is not yet approved for clinical use, and it is not used to diagnose patients at our camps today. Winning that approval for rural use is what Experiment 2 is for.

Antarctica Ultrasound Mission — support Indian medical research · Pura Foundation