Robotic surgery: from past to future--a personal journey.

A review of the history of robotic surgery--from its beginnings in a collaboration of engineers, computer scientists, and a plastic surgeon from Stanford Research Institute (SRI) and the NASA-Ames Research Center to the next generation of systems on the drawing board in the Department of Defense--provides a rich and colorful look at the author's participation in its development. Although Dr. Satava has participated in the development of other systems (orthopedic, ophthalmologic, and neurosurgical) that have contributed to the current distribution of robotic, computer-aided, and image-guided surgical systems, this article focuses on the development of the telemanipulation systems used for thoracic, abdominal, and pelvic surgery. Based upon emerging technologies, speculation is provided on the next generation of systems.