Here's what you need to know before going under the robo-knife

First, you are strapped from the chest upwards on to the table, with your feet hoisted into stirrups. The table is swung down backwards, so you are tilted, head-down, at an angle of 45 degrees. Then a machine, known by some surgeons as'the 800lb gorilla', can get to work. It sounds so medieval, but this is the most modern of surgical techniques -- robotic surgery. The extraordinary posture, known as the steep Trendelenburg, is necessary to position the patient precisely so the robot arms can reach inside them.