History of robotics in surgery

The pioneering projects aimed at integrating automated devices into surgical practice date back to the late 1960s. However, the transition from concept to a mass-produced product took nearly three decades. Today, the da Vinci platform (Intuitive Surgical Inc., USA) dominates the global medical community as a system for performing minimally invasive procedures. Importantly, its success was preceded by the development of earlier prototypes, including ZEUS, AESOP, ROBODOC, and the Green Telepresence System. Notably, the original purpose of these technological innovations was not commercial medicine but rather the provision of surgical care under field conditions, including battlefield settings. The research groundwork established with the participation of SRI International and the Advanced Research Projects Agency was later transferred to the private sector. The subsequent consolidation of multiple market players ultimately led to the formation of Intuitive Surgical Inc. This article reconstructs the complete chronology of the development of surgical robots. The methodology includes a meticulous analysis of archival data and scientific publications, as well as direct interviews with leading experts in the field of minimally invasive techniques. Such work is essential, as robotic interventions are currently evolving from an experimental approach into a widely accepted clinical standard, which necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the path already taken.