Robotic Surgery
Robots have invaded our hospitals. By 2025, surgeons performed about 3.1 million procedures in a single year using da Vinci systems worldwide.
The robot earned its place by enabling surgeons to perform complex procedures without large incisions. In fact, da Vinci and similar robots account for three out of four prostate cancer surgeries as well as a large percentage of gynecological procedures. In both cases, the robot provides surgeons with an expanded view of an anatomically cramped space, enabling them to remove tumors or treat other tissue without damaging nearby reproductive organs. It is also used for thoracic, cardiac, and some types of general surgery.
da Vinci, introduced in 2000, lives up to its name. With its hulking body and multiple arms, it looks a combination of mechanical and biological parts a goth Leonardo da Vinci might have dreamed.
While earlier robots were limited to specific surgeries and pre-programmed motions, da Vinci can handle a wide range of minimally invasive procedures. Early models came with two or three arms to grip surgical instruments and an additional arm with a 3D camera. The arms fit easily through one-inch incisions and came with a mechanical wrist that could turn 540 degrees, making it far more dexterous than any human hand.
The robot delivered several key benefits: It mimicked the surgeon's every hand motion, so it felt like an extension of his or her body. It filtered out tremors and reduced surgeon fatigue, especially during prolonged procedures. Its stereoscopic viewer lets surgeons look at a magnified 3D image of the body while performing an operation.
It took 25 years for da Vinci to overcome its greatest failing: it did not communicate touch. Instead of using touch to find organs, assess tissue health, and apply force, surgeons had to rely on visual clues as they worked.
In the 2020s, new disposable touch‑feedback add‑ons began to reach clinical use, helping restore some sense of touch.
Meanwhile, biomedical engineers are working on integrating AI and eye-activated camera controls into future models, something even da Vinci never imagined.