History of Robotic Surgery

Robots have fascinated and preoccupied human minds for centuries—from ancient tales of “stone golems,” to modern science fiction. The first documented use of a robot-assisted surgical procedure occurred in1985 when the PUMA 560 robotic surgical arm was used to orient a needle for a brain biopsy while under computer tomography (CT) guidance during a neurosurgical biopsy. Since 1985, a number of significant advances have resulted in successful application of robotics to surgical procedures to all parts of the body.