Not to offend any readers but, I have to laugh when I hear people flapping their gums about the merits of surgibot vs titan or intuitive, and yet they have never held a scalpel in hand or placed a trocar in a patient or for that matter actually performed laparoscopy- straight stick or robotic.
After 20 years of performing straight stick laparoscopy, the natural progression and advantages inherent in a robotic platform are very apparent -
outstanding visualization/magnification, 7 degrees of freedom, the ability to work on both "sides" of or table simultaneously, tremendous dexterity, the ability to be seated for long cases not to even mention the patient benefits from MIS. I can push the envelope so much further than with straight stick because of the ------TECHNOLOGY.
Would you not agree the natural progression is to improve on the current technology, to advance it in a cost conscious way and make it more appealing to hospitals and patients ( see cell/smart phones/tablets/4k tv/etc).
I can't see this progression filled by a hand held pseudo-robotic platform that personally looks no different than straight stick set-up and requires the surgeon to only work on one side of OR table with assist on other- no different than straight stick cases; I don't see any evidence of 7 degrees of freedom as with endo-wrist technology of intuitive or "snake" arms of titan. I see titan pushing the technology forward with a less expensive platform that maintains mobility. I just don't see that in the surgibot system and I'm the end user-
