Here’s how you can play with surgical robots

LOXAHATCHEE, Fla. — Tuesday morning, I got to play with a surgical robot, which was really cool because I just had two surgeries that used a four-armed robot.

I had a colon resection and a hernia surgery. So I went from being a patient to “doctor.”

You sit down and you use your hands and feet to manipulate the tools and camera. You look into a “Star Trek Spock-looking” microscope and a 3-D image guides you.

Dr. James J. Goad, chief of surgery at HCA Florida Palms West Hospital, said that recovery times are faster if they use the robots because it’s less invasive.

You can try it out, too!

HCA Florida Palms West Hospital is hosting its second annual Robotics Night at the hospital on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The community will be able to go from patient to “doctor” as they get a hands-on try at the surgical robots. There will be panel discussions with surgeons about advancements in general surgery, urology, gynecology, oncology, and orthopedics.