JANESVILLE, Wis. -- As the assembly lines of General Motors halt, the history of manufacturing in Janesville has reached a pivotal point.

Now, the city's biggest employer hopes robotic technology can revive the struggling area. Mercy Health System showcased its latest instrument on Monday.

Mercy officials said these robots, which resemble a Nintendo Wii in scrubs, are redefining procedures in the operating room.

Dr. Nick Gianitsos was the head surgeon at a prostatectomy procedure on Monday, but he was nowhere near the patient's bedside like he used to be.

"You do the surgery in a seated position, with an ergonomically designed console without shoes," said Gianitsos while sitting on a machine that looked more like a virtual reality device than a medical device. "So, it is more comfortable to do long, complicated procedures, and really that's where the robot comes in the handiest."

A robot is doing the physical work. More specifically, the Da Vinci SI HD Dual Surgical System gives surgeons the ability to move in tiny places with pinpoint precision.

"With the aid of the robot, your hands move these toggles that actually move the robots hands exactly like yours." said Gianitsos. "So we actually have what (are) called 'wristed instruments' that move how your wrist moves."

According to Sue Sunby, a robotics coordinator, these robots help perform dangerous and delicate procedures -- like the prostatectomy.

"This particular procedure, I have seen a patient lose six units of blood in 20 minutes when they're done open," said Sunby. "The blood loss on the robotics procedure? Significantly less -- a tenth of that or less."

The dual system at Janesville's Mercy Hospital is one of only five machines in the country.

"You have two sets of trained surgeon eyes working at the same time," said Sunby, "It's a big advantage to patients."

Mercy Hospital said having two consoles cuts operating time for this procedure from eight hours down to five hours. But more importantly, the robots are now putting patients on a faster track to recovery.

"What we're generating is patient outcomes -- better patient outcomes," said Gianitsos. "We get the patient out of the hospital sooner. We have them convalesce sooner. We get them to work sooner. Their restrictions are fewer."

The Da Vinci Surgical System is used at other area hospitals in southern Wisconsin, but the dual system is what sets Janesville's machine apart. Mercy said there are more than 20 surgical procedures per specialty that can be performed using this system.