Robotics in urology: Past, present, and future

The modern-day urologist is continually armed with new instruments and technology aimed at decreasing the overall invasiveness of urologic procedures. Robotic technology is aimed at improving clinical outcomes by correcting human technical inadequacies such as hand tremors and imprecise suturing. The first reported use of robotics to assist with surgery was in 1985, and the first use of robotics in urology was published in 1989. The currently utilized master-slave system (da Vinci Robotic Platform (R), Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) has popularized robotic surgery for use in numerous urologic conditions including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, renal cancer, uretero-pelvic junction obstruction, and pelvic prolapse. New developments in robotic technology may revolutionize many other aspects of urology including percutaneous renal access and rounding on patients after surgery. This review provides a brief overview of the history of robotics in urology, a description of the da Vinci surgical system and its current utilization as well as limitations, and a review of evolving robotic technology in the field of urology.