CAJ - History of Robotic Surgery

The word robot comes from the Czech word "robota" and means forced labor. The term was coined by the Czech playright Karel Capek. While the robots used to be primative machines, they have come a long way since then. Nowadays, robots are able to do more complex tasks such as performing surgery.
The first documented robot-assisted surgery was performed in 1985. It was a neurosurgical biopsy and the robot PUMA 560 was used. The surgeons decided on the use of PUMA 560 because it allowed them to perform the delicate biopsy with greater precision.
                                 

In 1987, the first laparoscopic surgery was performed. It was a cholescystecotomy which is the removal of the gallbladder. Since then, robot-assisted laparoscopic surgeries, also known as minimally invasive surgeries, have been performed numerously. Laparoscopic surgeries are surgeries performed in the abdomen where the area is accessed through several small incisions instead of one large incision.



Surgery robots were revolutionized in 2000 when the FDA, the Food and Drug Administration, approved the robotic surgery system da Vinci Surgery System. The former surgical robots were large-armed and surgeons needed endoscopes and numerous surgical assistants in order to perform surgery. The da Vinci Surgery System, however, is an all-encompassing system of surgical instruments and camera or scopic utensils.

As you see, robotic surgery is not so new as you might think. What started as a large armed robot has become a multi-armed machine which allows surgeons to perform even really complex surgeries with great precision. It is only a matter of time until they are able to perform surgeries completely on their own.