While the surgeon sits across the room, controlling the robot from a laptop, Computer Motion's three-armed Zeus will be both the eyes and the hands of the surgeon. Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot was approved by the FDA in July, and Zeus is expected to be approved this fall. Black will be the principal investigator studying Zeus for pediatric surgery, said Yulan Wang, founder and technical officer of Computer Motion. Black has been interested in minimally invasive surgery throughout his career. He said some doctors called him crazy for trying to fix hearts through smaller and smaller holes.
Some older doctors think it's too hard and therefore unsafe to maneuver through a small hole.
Robotics are another tough sell for some established doctors. But robots are catching on in the field of surgery. But it's the future that's exciting. Robots can make very precise movements, much smoother than a human's, he said. The usefulness of such precision can't be overstated.