Naples - Physicians Regional Medical Center-Pine Ridge is the first hospital in Southwest Florida to acquire a new type of surgical robot, that urologists recently used to successfully perform prostate surgery.

It's called the "da Vinci S Surgical System," and it allows the surgeon to sit at a counsel across the room from the patient. He or she can then view a 3-D image provided by 2 cameras inserted through a small incision inside the patient.

The surgeon then uses his or her hands to manipulate robotic arms to perform intricate tasks. The Arms allow 7 degrees of movement, just like the human hand and wrist.

Compared to traditional surgery, the da Vinci S allows for smaller incisions, shorter operating times, less than half the blood loss, and a drastically shorter hospital stay.

Future plans at Physicians Regional Medical Center-Pine Ridge include robotic programs for gynecologic surgery, colorectal surgery, general surgery and ENT.

The surgeries are not considered experimental, and are covered by insurance.