Surgical robotics — Born in space

With the introduction of telerobotic systems, it has become possible for surgeons to perform medical operations at greater physical distances from their patients. Whether in an adjacent room or on another continent, these systems enable greater flexibility in mitigating adverse surgical conditions. These ideas originally came from the space research, where further needs emerged to advance robots that could resolve surgical cases previously not treatable. The concept of providing surgical aid to astronauts in outer space yielded to telerobotic surgical care on Earth, benefiting around 1 million patients per year. As the field continues to develop and becomes more prevalent, it is worth looking back to the origins of the technology and the early days of robotic telesurgery. While many of the early prototypes and technologies never reached patients, their engineering components and innovative concepts directly lead to the birth of modern surgical robots.