I didn't think "Virtual Boy" when I first saw what this doc was sticking his face in....

Baby got back.

I've actually had the opportunity to play with a da vinci robot as I work in the biomedical engineering industry. The principle it's based upon is minimally invasive surgery; it's used to manipulate very small surgical tools in an environment (the human body) where no room exists for human hands and inherent tremor. Tiny cameras are used to look into the surgical zone and create stereoscopic images for the surgeon. The giant device the surgeon is looking into is essentially a massive ViewMaster. The device has been in development since the mid-80s and is widely used throughout the world, though its prohibitive price has hindered it from becoming mainstream.

@Chad Excellent observation :P I think this is relatively believable. Ronald Reagan famous predicted that videogames would train a generation of "Cyber-warriors". While the idea was farfetched at the time, it rang true...to an extent. Videogames are certainly helpful in some respects. Hopefully we don't abandon the idea of formal education in the name of Virtual Boy training, anytime soon.

Considering that a lot of surgeons play reflex games as well as do other activities like knitting and needlepoint, all of which keeps their hands nimble and steady, this isn't as much of a surprise as you think.

This isn't a game and it isn't new either. This tech has been around for a while now, it's only becoming more mainstream now, I'm assuming because it's become more "affordable" and it's applications more practical. This type of technology is probably as important as the invention of x-ray machines and other scanning devices (MRI, CAT, etc). Not only does it allow for less invasive ways to do run of the mill procedures, helping patients recover faster and spend less time/money on a hospital stay, but it allows new types of procedures that were previously thought of as impossible. When you combine this type of thing with the steadily advancing field of nano technology it may even be possible to do surgery at the cellular level one day, imagine the possibilities.