A robotic surgical system for measuring tissue, the system comprising: a stereoscopic image capture device adapted to be orientable toward a surgical site, the stereoscopic image capture device adapted to generate image data corresponding to a stereoscopic image of the tissue at the surgical site; a stereoscopic display (32, 34) coupled to the stereoscopic image capture device and adapted to show the stereoscopic image to a system user; at least one robotic surgical tool; an input for actuation by a system user to designate tissue locations indicated by said at least one robotic surgical tool; a master controller coupled with said at least one robotic surgical tool for receiving movement commands from a system user to guide said at least one robotic surgical tool into the proximity of first and second locations on a tissue surface without touching said at least one robotic surgical tool to the tissue surface; and a processor coupling the input to the stereoscopic display (32, 34) and adapted: i) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the first location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the first location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the first location by superimposing a first graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, ii) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the second location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the second location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the second location by superimposing a second graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, and iii) to determine a measurement between the first graphical indicator for the first location and the second graphical indicator for the second location using the image data. a stereoscopic image capture device adapted to be orientable toward a surgical site, the stereoscopic image capture device adapted to generate image data corresponding to a stereoscopic image of the tissue at the surgical site; a stereoscopic display (32, 34) coupled to the stereoscopic image capture device and adapted to show the stereoscopic image to a system user; at least one robotic surgical tool; an input for actuation by a system user to designate tissue locations indicated by said at least one robotic surgical tool; a master controller coupled with said at least one robotic surgical tool for receiving movement commands from a system user to guide said at least one robotic surgical tool into the proximity of first and second locations on a tissue surface without touching said at least one robotic surgical tool to the tissue surface; and a processor coupling the input to the stereoscopic display (32, 34) and adapted: i) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the first location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the first location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the first location by superimposing a first graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, ii) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the second location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the second location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the second location by superimposing a second graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, and iii) to determine a measurement between the first graphical indicator for the first location and the second graphical indicator for the second location using the image data. i) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the first location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the first location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the first location by superimposing a first graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, ii) in response to the system user actuating the input when a robotic surgical tool is in the proximity of but not touching the second location, to determine a three dimensional coordinate for the second location on the tissue surface in response to image data generated by the stereoscopic image capture device and to designate the second location by superimposing a second graphical indicator on the stereoscopic image of the tissue surface, and iii) to determine a measurement between the first graphical indicator for the first location and the second graphical indicator for the second location using the image data.