The advance of the robot and new surgical frontiers

Each year, the Future Surgery conference highlights the vital role of robotic and digital technologies in advancing surgery, and this year's prgramme has continued to shine a light on how UK hositals are pioneering robot-assisted approaches across a variety of surgical specialties.

From miniature-sized snake-like robots that can easily reach difficult to access locations in the human body,¹ to a surgical robot making its debut in space,² it is safe to say the world of surgery has come a long way. Robots are allowing for greater precision and better visualisation, virtual reality (VR) is elevating the training and learning experiences of surgeons to another level, artificial intelligence has the potential to aid decision-making and training using 'big data', while 3D technologies are providing doctors with a whole new way to plan an entire surgery. Digital technologies are transforming the future of surgery, and we can expect these technologies to increasingly converge with robotics in the future, to advance surgical performance, as well as improving the accuracy of diagnostic procedures.

There have been rapid advances in the field of robotics, in recent years, and the increasing adoption of robots in the operating theatre is expected to reduce variation in surgical performance and the invasiveness of interventions. Minimal Access Surgery (MAS) is known to reduce infections and complications and, by facilitating wider access to MAS, robotic surgery could reduce pain, hospital stay and improve outcomes for patients. However, robots can also reduce surgeon fatigue in complex and lengthy procedures, and extend the careers of surgeons by reducing the risk of injury and strain.