The robot surgeon will see you now...

Keyhole surgery using robotic arms has transformed medicine-and advanced devices coupled with AI might surpass doctors' skills

- Charlie Metcalfe

• 1.5m The number of operations the manufacturer of the most prolific surgical robot, the Da Vinci, says it is used in e ach year 
• $2m Approximate cost of the Da Vinci (the firm would not quote a specific price, saying it depends on buyers’ requirements)

Neil Thomas wished he could have been awake during the operation to remove a 6cm cancerous tumour from his colon. He was one of the first people to go under the scalpel of University hospital of Wales's new robotic systems in June 2022. And, as the founder of a software company, the technology interested him.

Thomas's surgeon, James Ansell, would once have stooped over his patient's body to perform the operation. Instead, he stood behind a console on another side of the theatre wearing 3D glasses. His hands grasped two joysticks, which controlled the four robotic arms that huddled around Thomas's unconscious body.

"My colleague said to me the other day that this feels like cheating," Ansell said. "We've done it for so many years: stood at the bedside at an awkward angle, sweating because it's really physically demanding surgery. [Now,] sitting down, there's no pressure on the surgeon. It's very straightforward."

Robots have revolutionised the practice of surgery since their introduction to operating theatres in 2001. They can now be found in hospitals across the world. The most prolific device, the Da Vinci, is used in 1.5m operations every year, according to its California-based manufacturer, Intuitive Surgical.

Now, combined with AI and other novel technologies, engineers are developing advanced robotics to herald another new era for surgery. This time, the surgeon's role in the operating theatre may change altogether. Some people are referring to it as Surgery 4.0.