The introduction of robot assisted surgery in 1998 marked the next big step in surgical technology. Originally designed for remote surgery telemanipulation, these systems appeared well suited to deal with the core disadvantages of endoscopic surgery. Robotic systems provide an optimal three dimensional view and deal with inversion of movement, scaling, and limited degrees of freedom. They return camera control to the first surgeon and demonstrate significantly better ergonomics. The history of robotic surgery is described in this chapter and an overview of current and net future systems is provided.
