Abstract:

Surgical robots were introduced to overcome the technical issues of limited operative dexterity and inadequate visualization in complex body areas. Current surgical robotic systems are based on a master-slave relationship in which the master-surgeon provides operative guidance for the slave-robot to perform operative tasks. Robotic operations are most frequently applied in urology (primarily focusing on prostatectomy) and cardiac surgery. The evolution of surgical robotics has made significant strides in the past decade. There are, however, some limitations to robotic surgical technology, including cost, learning curve requirements, intellectual property, the need for evidence, logistical factors, and technical constraints. The future of robotic surgery promises several augmentations to provide improvements in surgical visualization, somatosensory perception, and enhanced robot-surgeon interactions. These can be achieved through advances in robotic research and academic healthcare leadership to develop the next generation of surgical robots such as the novel flexible access bio-inspired (FAB) platforms. The drive to move toward ever less-invasive and safer procedures while maintaining high-quality treatment outcomes has maintained the momentum of progress since the initial birth of minimally invasive surgery, so that robotic surgery can be increasingly applied in a wider range of healthcare settings.

Authors:

Thanos Athanasiou, MD, PhD, FRCS, FETCS, Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences and Cardiac Surgery, Imperial College London, London, England, Hutan Ashrafian, BSc (Hons.), MBBS, MRCS, Clinical Lecturer in Surgery, Imperial College London, London, England, Christopher Rao, BSc (Hons.), MBBS, MRCS, Clinical Research Fellow, Imperial, College London, London, England, Guang-Zhong Yang, PhD, Director of Medical Imaging, Department of Computing, Director and Co-founder of the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Deputy Chairman of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Director and Founder of the Royal Society/Wolfson Medical Image Computing Laboratory, Co-founder of the, Wolfson Surgical Technology Laboratory, Chairman of the Centre for Pervasive Sensing, Imperial College London, London, England, Ara Darzi, MD, FRCS, KBE, Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery, Head of the Division of Surgery, Honorary Consultant Surgeon, Co-founder of the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Chairman of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London, London, England

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