The DaVinci is cool, but you get 10 uses out of each arm then you have to toss it... At a few grand a pop it's not cheap. I have two and am working on 'hacking' the usb interface, but they've epoxyed over the chips.
Interesting, didn't know that each arm has only 10 uses. Why is this limitation? Wear out of arm or mfr limitation in attempt to sell more. Makes sense why some insurance plans don't cover DaVinci and patients have to go for laparoscopic surgery.
How did you get hold of DaVinci arm?