The Da Vinci robot (Picture Da Vinci)

A four-armed robot surgeon armed with scalpels has carried out colon surgery on a British patient in a technology breakthrough which could revolutionise the way serious illnesses are treated.

The Da Vinci XI robot looks alarming, but is actually tiny – and ‘miniaturises’ the movements of the surgeon controlling it.

The machine makes it possible for surgeons to operate via without making large incisions in the patient.

Surgeons at the Royal Marsden Hospital hailed the technology as pushing the boundaries in surgery, particularly in cancer care.


Mr Pardeep Kumar, consultant urological surgeon at the hospital, said: ‘The surgical robot acts as an extension of the surgeon’s hands and allows us to carry out complex surgeries through tiny incisions. It miniaturises the movements of the surgeon who control it.



‘Our patient today has cancer of the colon and they’ve had several surgeries in the past. That means usually we would tackle this operation with a large open incision that extends from the ribs right down to the belly button.

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‘This robot enables us to do that same operation through tiny incisions instead, because of the control and accuracy of it. It means the patient will wake up from surgery with little or no pain and recover incredibly quickly.

‘It’s an incredible opportunity for all the surgeons here who are really looking forward to making a difference and pushing forward the boundaries of surgery for cancer.’