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Gumbs et al. Mini-invasive Surg 2020;4:90 I http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2574-1225.2020.110 Page 3 of 9

Figure 2. The AESOP robotic laparoscope holder (Computer Motion, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA)

[3]
the mid-1990s [Figure 2]. This device was so well-liked that it became a victim of its efficacy, and the
company was purchased by Intuitive Surgical and promptly shelved, thus eliminating any competition.
Nonetheless, this remote-controlled robot is widely considered the first robot used in minimally invasive
abdominal surgery, yet surgeries done with it are not even considered robotically-assisted procedures by
most surgeons.

Another robotically-controlled laparoscope holder called ViKY (short for Video-endosKopY; ViKY,
[4]
Endocontrol, Grenoble, France) then came on the market [Figure 3]. Unlike AESOP or the da Vinci,
this robotically-controlled laparoscope holder is autoclavable and can be sterilized. Endocontrol then
developed hand-held ‘robotic’ instruments that have additional degrees of articulation that are really
[5]
just motorized laparoscopic instruments (JaiMY, Endocontrol, Grenoble, France) [Figure 4]. These two
devices were developed so that surgeons could overcome the loss of haptics that exists with the da Vinci
Robot, specifically the loss of the sensation of touch. Other hand-held instruments with end-effectors and
increased degrees of freedom exist; however, unlike JaiMY, these devices are fully powered by the force of
the surgeon and have no powered motors.

Robotic surgery is traditionally defined as any surgery done with a complete robotic surgical system. Up
until recently, the only complete system was the da Vinci Surgical System [Figure 1]. It was originally
developed for the military so that surgeons could remotely do open surgery on wounded soldiers in the
field; the device was retrofitted for minimally invasive surgery as this was more marketable. During these