Introduction

Emerging advances in medical imaging are enabling clinicians to non-invasively examine anatomy and metabolic processes deep below the skin surface. From computed tomography capable of displaying the patient’s 3-D anatomy with sub-millimeter resolution, to magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging that can identify the location of metabolic compounds in tissue, the quantity and detail of patient-specific imaging data available to clinicians is rapidly increasing.

In parallel to these advances in medical imaging, new robotic tools are being introduced into clinical practice. These “robotic surgical assistants” have the potential to provide greater precision and accuracy compared to manually controlled surgical devices. A pioneer in this area has been the commercially successful da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgical assistant for laparoscopic surgery developed by Intuitive Surgical that has been installed in over 700 locations worldwide. In addition to the da Vinci system, numerous robotic systems are being developed commercially and in academia for specialized medical procedures from biopsies to retinal surgery to radiation dose delivery.