Milestones in robotic colorectal surgery development: an historical overview

Abstract

The present article is a historical review intended to trace the most important phases in the development of robotic surgical technology, with a special focus on colorectal surgery. The initial section considers the origin and some etymological aspects of the word "robot". Then, a historical overview traces the development of robotic technology in industry and its implementation within the operating theatres. Finally, the first publications concerning robot-assisted colon and rectal surgery are reported together with a brief state of the art about this issue.