By Mark Tutton
For CNN

LONDON, England (CNN) — Over the past 20 years, robotics have revolutionized surgery, and new innovations are continuing to push the boundaries of medicine.

Mike Rustic, senior lecturer at the mechanical engineering department at Imperial College, London, says machines such as the “da Vinci” system have had a huge impact on surgery.

The “da Vinci” first appeared in 1991 and lets surgeons carry out keyhole surgery remotely, allowing them to control robot arms from a console that also provides a three-dimensional image of the proceedings.

While the “da Vinci” system is the most widespread robotic surgery tool, Rustic says the “Sensei Robotic Catheter System” is also starting to be used for electrophysiology procedures on the heart.

A new exhibition at London’s Royal College of Surgeons called “Sci-Fi Surgery: Medical Robots” has displays ranging from the “da Vinci” system to prototype microbots designed to be swallowed and self-assembled in the human body.

Rustic says there is much ongoing research into micro machines — miniaturized robots that could be placed in a patient’s body to gather information or carry out medical procedures.

For more on this article, please click on the following link: What surgery will look like in the future: CNN