Identification of non-technical roadblocks in cognitive robotic surgery

Many challenges are still to be overcome, before European robotic community reaches full clearance on how to commercialize surgical robots, even more if they are endowed with some cognitive features. Besides the technical difficulties of developing such devices from the engineering and medical point of view, firm obstacles are also present regarding the social, legal and ethical implications that will arise, once this technology is available and ready to use for surgical purposes. This presents the results reached by the coordinated action Eurosurge to face non-technical roadblocks foreseen in future robotic surgery, including recommendations for the robotic, legal and medical communities involved in this field