An amazing development in keyhole surgery has been the use of remotely-operated robots to perform minimally invasive procedures. Keyhole surgery means that the surgeon’s hands do not need to be inside the patient – all cuts and stitches are carried out by delicate instruments inserted through the keyhole incisions. This has made it possible for these instruments to be operated mechanically by a surgeon at a console that does not necessarily need to be in the same room, the same hospital – or indeed, the same country. In 2000, the US Federal Drug Administration approved a robotic keyhole system called ‘da Vinci’ for clinical use. In conventional keyhole surgery, the surgeon must stand and transfer his gaze between the instruments and the display screen. However, da Vinci allows the surgeon to be seated – for greater comfort during lengthy procedures. Two endoscopes give full stereoscopic vision, while hand and foot controls are used to operate the instruments simultaneously and with greater range of movement than that permitted by human hand and wrist joints. In the future, a top surgical specialist in the US could operate on an injured soldier on a faraway battlefield.