The main problem is that there is a sharp learning curve for surgeons who are transitioning from open to robot-assisted surgery. Any hospital with an extra million bucks can buy a robot, but the surgeon has to be competent, and that takes a lot of practice. That's why simulation is critical to training before the surgeon operates on the first patient.

That being said, my husband's prostatectomy and my second knee replacement were done robotically. My recovery for the knee replacement was superior to my first surgery, and I went home the same day. My husband was in the hospital only one night.