David Marante, Vice President for UK & Ireland, Italy & Iberia at Intuitive, has announced the arrival of Force Feedback instruments for da Vinci 5 in Europe.
The loss of tactile sensation has probably been the most persistent criticism, and one of the earliest concerns, of telemanipulated robotic surgery. I remember discussing it with Akhil Madhani years ago, going back to the Black Falcon prototype (and with virtually every colleague getting into robotics after that).
With da Vinci 5, what we initially experience is a form of simulated haptic sensation. And, at least in the simulator, it was surprisingly good, even adjustable.
Now, finally, it is coming to the clinical setting in Europe. It was announced from the beginning. It took some time. We’ll tell you what it feels like in real surgery. Welcome, force feedback.
J Granell. Sep 9, 2026
