The concept of machines performing tasks normally done by humans was first introduced in 1921 by Czechoslovakian playwright Karel Capek. His play “Rossum's Universal Robots” was a satirical piece intended to protest the growth of technology in Western civilization. However, much to his dismay, the play had the opposite effect. Public fascination with robots increased and to this day is still a fascination of modern society. In the mid-1980s, IBM and the University of California, Davis began a joint research project to develop a robot for total hip arthroplasty, with the first clinical test on a dog in May of 1990, and by November of the same year Integrated Surgical Systems, Inc. was formed to develop the technology for human clinical use. This robot system would later be known as ROBODOC which made its human operating room debut in 1991. Since then, many different types of robotic systems have been developed for a variety of orthopedic procedures.

We invite investigators to contribute original research articles as well as review articles that will give an update on current robotic techniques available for the treatment of joint disease and associated outcomes. As there are a limited number of systems in clinical use, we also welcome articles describing systems in the research and development stage as well. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Recent developments in robotic technology for treatment of hip, knee, ankle, and shoulder and spine disease. Applications can be in the subspecialties of adult reconstruction, trauma, sports, or spine
• New surgical techniques/implants utilizing robotic technologies and associated indications
• Accuracy of robotic techniques compared to manual techniques
• Clinical outcomes of robotic procedures
• Economics of adding robotic technology to orthopedic procedures
• Integrating robotic technology into the operative room

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aop/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: