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Background Information
In 1985, the first robot, "Puma 580" performed the first neurosurgical biopsies, which is taking a smear of the brain to perform a diagnosis on the brain's condition. In 1988, "Puma 580" performed another surgical procedure, on the prostate, where it earned its name "PROBOT." "PROBOT" provided researchers a gateway to the "ROBODOC," which was a machine that helped perform hip replacement surgeries with superb precision (Lanfranco, Castellanos, Desai, & Meyers, 2004). "ROBODOC" became the first surgical robot to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (Meadows, 2002). Years later, researchers collaborated to invent a "Telepresence Surgery System," which allows the surgeon to perform surgeries on patients from distance. "Telepresence" allowed for the creation of the "Telemanipulator"-used in hand surgeries to give the surgeon a real feel of their patient (Holt, Zaidi, Abramson, Somogyi, n.d.). After recognizing the value in robots, the US government funded the company, Computer Motion, Inc. to invent an "Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning," a voice controlled robotic arm used by the surgeon to maneuver an endoscopic camera inserted into the patient (Lanfranco, Castellanos, Desai, & Meyers, 2004). Since the invention of "ROBODOC," robotic surgery has revolutionized the surgical world.
More recently, new inventions of robots with multiple arms have been approved by US Food and Drug Administration to be used in surgical settings (Meadows, 2002). Two notable specific robotic systems, the "Da Vinci" and "Zeus System" are widely used in different types of surgeries (Holt, Zaidi, Abramson, Somogyi, n.d.). Both systems have two arms that mimic the surgeon's hand, 3D cameras on the third arm that has an image-processing computer, a movable cart, and voice commands among their features. Most importantly, they contain the master console where the surgeon sits and gives directions to the robot. These systems, along with other robot technologies are used in neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, pediatric surgery, endovascular surgery, and continue to grow and develop in other medical fields.