Robots perform varied precise and accurate tasks including handling hazardous materials with minimal risk to humans. They excel at performing highly repetitive tasks and have been widely adopted into industrial manufacturing due to these advantages. The success of robotic industrial manufacturing has demonstrated that robots can be tireless, accurate, and capable of speed and precision far beyond that of a human. However, industrial robots are also dangerous as their speed, size, and movements can result in significant damage to surrounding structures or life forms if there are errors in command or control. Overall, robots are often categorized by type of control mechanisms. One type of robotic control is active control, where the robot is actually performing the action without human control usually under a programmed command structure. Semi-active control occurs when the robot is responsible for some of the control, but is overseen during the task by a human who is able to add control. Finally, passive system architecture is where the robotic system only performs movements that are input directly from the human controller. Thus far, no autonomous movement is present in a commercial surgical robotic system created for abdominal and thoracic minimally invasive surgery, although this is an area of active research. The following chapter will describe the history, current landscape, and future directions of surgical robotic systems.