Robots move into operating room

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved robotic devices for use in minimally invasive gallbladder and gastroesophageal reflux disease surgery. But the high-tech helpers haven't made a surgeon's job that much easier -- or quicker. That's because they are not easy to maneuver. It's also hard for the surgeon to see more than a very small area at once. There are potentially great benefits from robotic surgery for a patient, however, including smaller incisions, and therefore, faster recovery times. So two Harvard researchers -- Robert D.

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