New Age Surgery in the Old World--Robotics in Europe

Interest in surgical robotics is booming in Europe, outpacing the US. Leading the charge are two US companies; Europeans have been reluctant to commercialize new technologies and create companies. But before robotics can fulfill its apparent promise, it will have to address hospitals' cost concerns, win over conservative mainstream surgeons,and, most importantly, prove that it represents a clinically superior approach to surgery.

by David Cassak

Nearly 10 years ago, Dr. Gerhard Buess, one of Europe's leading proponents of minimally-invasive surgery (MIS), was being interviewed by Germany's largest newspaper, Die Zeit, about the then-burgeoning phenomenon of minimally-invasive or endoscopic surgery. Cautioning against what he called a "euphoria" about the new procedures, Buess insisted to the reporter that MIS held as many problems as promises at that time. "I told him that there were still a lot of drawbacks to endoscopic surgery," says Buess. "There was no freedom of movement, no tactile sense, no force feedback

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