History of Robotic Surgery

The history of telerobotic surgery involves a revolutionary approach to minimally-invasive surgery. The concept of “telemanipulation” or “telepresence” emerged in the 1940s and was first used to describe the sensation that a person is in one location willIe being in another. It was driven by the need for certain complex tasks to be perfoffiled by machines in hazardous and unhealthy environment for human beings, such as the bottom of the ocean or in outer space. In Robert Heinlein’s 1942 science fiction , entitled “Waldo”, the lead character, Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones, was bom frail and unable to lift his own body weight. Heilnlein describes a glove and hamess device that allowed Waldo to control a powerful mechanical arm by simply moving his hand and fingers.