How a McKinsey co-designed robot is creating a better future for minimally invasive surgery

February 12, 2020When German internist and surgeon Georg Kelling performed the first laparoscopic surgery in 1901, he likely hadn't envisioned that machines would one day follow in his footsteps. But today, robotic surgery is a health-care reality that promises certain benefits, like improved surgical precision that can contribute to quicker patient healing times. Still, widespread adoption of the technology has remained elusive. "The traditional approach to robotic surgery brings with it a lot of complexity and high cost," says Marcus Heneen, a design director at McKinsey Design. Today's surgical robots, Marcus explains, tend to situate the surgeon at a console in a non-sterile environment away from the patient.