Da Vinci, not Leonardo, but the $1.4 million robotic surgeon with 4 arms is the latest robotic technology now being studied at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

With a human surgeon at the controls, da Vinci filters out tremor, enhances precision, offers three-dimensional imaging and eliminates the inverted manipulation of instruments usually required in laparoscopic procedures.

"The buzzword is 'more precise than humanly possible.' That's the rationale for this technology," said Dr. Daniel Scott, director of the Southwestern Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistant professor of surgery at UT Southwestern.

Although testing of the four -armed robot is still on-going, it looks advantageous with regards to precision on some procedures.

Da Vinci is most popular in prostate, esophagus and stomach surgeries. Researchers are now investigating its practicality for cardiac surgery.

News and photo source: [UT Southwestern Medical Center]