Remote robotic surgery: implementing a technology 20 years in the making

Remote robotic surgery represents a transformative and unique approach to surgical care, offering the potential to expand access to healthcare to underserved areas, improve patient outcomes, and enhance surgical technologies. However, it is not without significant challenges, including technical limitations, ethical concerns, and financial implications. These hurdles must be carefully addressed to ensure safe and equitable integration into mainstream healthcare. Following initial excitement over 20 years ago regarding its potential as a remote tool in arenas, such as combat zones, its mainstream adoption faced challenges in terms of technological infrastructure, regulatory compliance, and ethical considerations. With the widespread adoption of robotic surgery and improvements in both the technology and the communications infrastructure, the potential for remote robotic telesurgery is experiencing a resurgence. While surgery in austere environments is intriguing, this article aims to explore the roadmap for potentially integrating remote robotic surgery into mainstream healthcare, as well as the feasibility of remote robotic surgery in the current clinical climate.