Robotic surgeons – a huge leap forward - MoneyWeek

Last week scientists at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, announced a pretty important breakthrough – they've developed a robot that can operate by itself on soft tissue. The robot is called the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot. Not just because it's another step towards even more precise and safe surgery, which is good for everyone, but because the robot can do this with a level of independence not previously seen. In 1985, doctors used the Puma 560 to assist them in delicate operations, and that's how robotic surgery has developed – as a way of assisting human doctors. It's not hard to see why: a robot may be able to make more precise movements than a person, and it won't get tired or feel the strain of a long operation in the way a surgeon might.