Where there was previously one primary manufacturer for robotic-assisted surgery machinery, there are now several newcomers on the block. Speaking from the British Thoracic Oncology Group (BTOG) Annual Conference 2018, held in Dublin, Ireland, Joel Dunning, PhD, FRCS, of South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Middlesbrough, UK, discusses the new robotic surgery platforms on the horizon, with major companies competing. Dr Dunning also forecasts where he sees the future of thoracic surgery moving in terms of the relationship between robotic-assisted surgery and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).