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three-dimensional visualization, improved dexterity and up to seven degrees of freedom. All of these are significant im- provements over conventional laparoscopic surgery. Robots also standardize and smooth motion, eliminating tremors and scaling of motion. Their use allows tele-presence sur- gery which has already been performed from Europe to the USA [20]. The surgeon can sit in an ergonomic position, decreasing fatigue. Surgical robots simplify repetitive ac- tions such as suturing deep in the pelvis. There is a great deal of excitement in both the surgical community and by the public for the use of surgical robots. When laparoscopic cholecystectomy was initially becoming popular, many patients demanded that their surgeon per- form “ laser surgery ” . Surgeons who did not perform laparo- scopic cholecystectomy found many fewer referrals. This is happening to a degree regarding robot surgery, although not as commonly. Robot surgery definitely has associated con- cerns, in addition to the obvious questions regarding long-term efficacy when performed for the treatment of ma- lignancies. For non-malignant conditions especially, there are significant concerns regarding increases in cost not only for the robot itself but for the longer time in the operating room. The start-up cost of using a robot is very high. There is a wide range of terminology used in associ- ation with surgical robots including robotic surgery, robot-assisted surgery, robot-assisted laparoscopic sur- gery and so on. For the purpose of this review, all of these terms will be included under the single umbrella term robotic surgery. Nearly all robotic surgery today uses the master-slave system. The surgeon performs the surgery and is assisted by the robot [25] and this is sometimes referred to as robot-assisted surgery. Fig. 1 The DaVinci system includes three components, a patient cart, a surgeon console and a vision cart. a There are several patient carts available including the Xi (shown here), X and SP. The surgeon console and vision cart are shared among all models. The system shown here is for simulation and practice and includes two surgeon ’ s consoles. b The surgeon ’ s cart has an optical viewing system (white arrow), two manipulation handles (red arrows) and five pedals (green arrows). c The patient cart has the articulating arms which hold the instruments that are inserted into the patient. Reprinted under a Creative Commons license from Chammas J et al. Trans Vis Sci Tech 2017 6:21. doi: https://doi.org/10.1167/tvst.6.3.21 Lefor BMC Biomedical Engineering (2019) 1:2 Page 6 of 15 | The Surgical Technologist | JULY 2021 308