Surgical robotic systems: What we have now? A urological perspective

Abstract

Introduction: The coming decade will see the emergence of many surgical robotic systems that need to prove their cost-effectiveness and clinical usability to gain the trust of robotic surgeons worldwide. Herein, we provide a concise review of the currently available robotic systems. Since the da Vinci Surgical System's patent expired and its market monopoly ended, many robotic surgical systems have, and will continue to, enter the market. Central to this is the challenge of gaining the trust of robotic surgeons in a cost-effective manner. However, the cumulative robotic surgical experience of Intuitive Surgical over these years—which has proven itself clinically and technically—is a great challenge for new surgical robots. Methods: This was a non-systematic review of the literature, conducted through the PubMed search engine, using the following words: “Da Vinci,” “robotic surgical system,” and “new robotic surgical device.” Further information was obtained from the robotic system companies’ official websites and press releases. Conclusions: The open robotic market carries great challenges for new robotic surgical systems, especially when following well-established da Vinci Surgical System. Surgeons’ trust, clinical publications, technical support, and market distribution all represent separate challenges that require address.