Surgical robots have a parallel development. Laparoscopes are the mechanical teleoperators in the surgical suite. Placing computerized controls on laparoscopic teleoperators created the current generation of surgical robots. Increasing number of tools and number of robotic entries into the market now allow an increasingly diverse number of procedures to be safely and effectively performed on the robotic platform. We are now at a pivotal point in the field when a technology is about to transform from a tool for innovators and experts to a tool for general practitioners. For hepatobiliary surgery in particular, the progress that has been made in the last five years in robotically-assisted MIS surgery has been astounding. In this issue of HBSN, we have highlighted some of these achievements and future challenges.

Disclosure:
The series “Robotic Hepatobiliary Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office, Hepatobiliary Surgery and Nutrition without any sponsorship or funding. Yuman Fong, Yanghee Woo and Pier C. Giulianotti served as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series.