The recent (0) INNOVATION (INNOVATE) in robotic-assisted surgery has opened the door to a practice that would have seemed unthinkable only a decade ago: operations carried out by a surgeon hundreds, or even thousands, of kilometres away from the patient. Modern robotic platforms offer a level of 1PRECISE that the unaided human hand cannot match, and they allow for minimally 2INVADE techniques that shorten recovery times. Because the entire procedure depends on high-bandwidth 3CONNECT between consoles, specialist 4OPERATE based in leading teaching hospitals can now assist colleagues in remote regions without having to travel. Rural populations that were previously 5RELY on delayed transfers to distant centres may in future receive world-class treatment in their local clinics. Any perceptible 6LATE, however, poses a serious clinical risk, which is why hospitals invest heavily in redundant fibre links. In the longer term, the technology may also transform how surgical 7TRAIN learn their craft, with profound 8IMPLICATE for medical education worldwide.