Surgical Robotics YouTube Clip Goes Viral

A video showing a da Vinci robot suturing a grape has received nearly 1.5 million views to date.

Brian Buntz

It is not often that medical technology-related videos go viral, but a video uploaded by Intuitive Surgical (Mountain View, CA) had received 1,453,657 views at the time of writing on May 20.

The video shows off the capabilities of Intuitive's single-site wristed needle driver for use in single-incision surgery, which won FDA clearance in September 2014. It begins by showing a grape with a segment of skin lying to its side. The robotic arms then reapply the skin and suture it back on.

The technology is said to help enable virtually scarless surgeries through a single-incision.

It was initially developed, in part, to facilitate suturing following a hysterectomy.

The da Vinci robot has been used for gynecological procedures since 2005, and surgery using the robot is the most common approach used for hysterectomies in the United States.

This is not the first time that YouTube videos showing off the surgical prowess of the da Vinci robot have gained widespread attention. A 2011 video showing the robot being used to fold a tiny paper airplane has attracted 720,287 views while another from the same year shows the robot being used to play the Operation board game.

Brian Buntz is the editor-in-chief of MPMN and Qmed. Follow him on Twitter at @brian_buntz.

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