What is Robotic Surgery?
Robots are currently being used to streamline many assembly line operations, such as car manufacturing. Robots are capable of doing tasks similar to a human and sometimes robots can perform better than humans. The reality of using robots in medical surgeries is already here. Many surgeons are currently using robots to assist them in surgical procedures.

Robotic surgery is when a doctor uses sophisticated robots to assist in a general surgical procedure. There are three main types of robotic surgery systems: supervisory-controlled, telesurgical, and shared-control systems. The main difference between these systems is in how involved a human surgeon is.

Three different types of robotic surgery systems:

• Supervisory-controlled systems
• Most automated
• Robots still require human guidance
• The human surgeon must input data into the robot, which then signals the robot to begin the surgery
  
• Telesurgical systems
• Humans direct the motions of the robot
  
• Example: The da Vinci Surgical System (picture shown at the top right)
  
• Shared-control systems
• Robots aid surgeons during surgery, but humans do most of the work
• System monitors the surgeon and provides support
  

IT Systems
Robotics
Robotics is the main IT system used in Robotic Surgery. Without robots, robotic surgery would just be plain, old traditional human surgery. The main reason why robotic surgery is more commonly being used is that robots have the ability to work at the same performance level all day and all night. Also, since robots are based on programs, surgeries performed by robots are usually more precise than those performed traditionally with human surgeons. However, with all the robotic surgery systems, humans are still needed throughout the surgeries.

Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems



Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:

• Eliminate the number of medical personnel in an operating room
• Surgeries performed by robotic systems are more precise
  
• Improves safety
  
• Higher effectiveness of surgeries
• Quicker recoveries compared to traditional surgeries
  

Disadvantages:

• Extremely high cost
  
• Relatively still a young science
• Robotic systems cannot make adjustments during surgery if something goes wrong
  

Social/Ethical Issues
Reliability
Robots are more commonly used in factories and assembly lines. However with the development of robotic surgery and doctors using robots to assist them in the operation rooms, robots are gaining more responsibility with human lives. Compared to a robot in a car manufacturing plant, robots used in surgeries must work properly and humans must be able to trust a robot with their lives.

Equality of access
These robotic surgery systems are quite expensive so not every hospital in every country can afford robotic surgery.

Control
With the shared-control robotic surgical system, robots monitor surgeons during a procedure. Though the robots cannot stop a surgeon from continuing a procedure, they can be programmed to notify the surgeon if something did not go as planned.

People and machines
With the introduction of robots into the medical field, humans are becoming even more dependent on technology. Compared to traditional surgical practices with the implementation of robots, the effectiveness of surgeries has improved. However, with more robots in the operation rooms, it will lead to a decrease in the number of human medical personnel.



Sources
http://www.nextgenmd.org/vol2-5/robotic_surgery.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/robotic-surgery1.htm