Perhaps the biggest driving factor behind the use of robots in surgery has been the ability to reduce extremely invasive procedures, which often require lengthy recovery times, prolong pain and discomfort, and leave large scars. With the help of robotics, we can design minimally invasive procedures, transforming surgeries that once required large incisions (and hours of work) to relatively small and straightforward processes. While robots aren’t yet perfect — they still require the steady hand of a skilled professional — new developments like the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR) are upgrading the possibilities of self-driving medical robotics.