New crop of robots to vie for space in the operating room

The view of what a surgeon would see is shown with a three-dimensional image on a da Vinci Xi Surgical System made by Intuitive Surgical during a demonstrated of the surgery robot at the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California December 3, 2014. REUTERS/Mike Blake/Files

CHICAGO: Even though many doctors see need for improvement, surgical robots are poised for big gains in operating rooms around the world. 

Within five years, one in three US surgeries – more than double current levels – is expected to be performed with robotic systems, with surgeons sitting at computer consoles guiding mechanical arms. Companies developing new robots also plan to expand their use in India, China and other emerging markets.