[The advancement of robotic surgery--successes, failures, challenges]

Computer-integrated robotic surgery systems appeared more than twenty years ago and since then hundreds of different prototypes have been developed. Only a fraction of them have been commercialized, mostly to support neurosurgical and orthopaedic procedures.Unquestionably, the most successful one is the da Vinci surgical system, primarily deployed in urology and general laparoscopic surgery. It is developed and marketed by Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), the only profitable company of the segment. The da Vinci made robotic surgery is known and acknowledged throughout the world, and the great results delivered convinced most of the former critics of the technology. Success derived from the well chosen business development strategy, proficiency of the developers, appropriate timing and a huge pot of luck. This article presents the most important features of the da Vinci system, the history of development along with its medical, economical and financial aspects, and seeks the answer why this particular system became successful.