WAUKESHA - da Vinci Robotic Surgery is being used all over the body: From the heart, to the prostate, to the ovaries. It's a concept that's catching on...and improving lives.

As a Milwaukee County lawyer, 47-year-old Bill Domina is used to being in control. But that control slipped away last August, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"There was a little bit of a throwback for me. I had gone through this with my father," Bill explains.

His father died of prostate cancer when Bill was only 14. "Nothing will rock your world faster than a parent telling a child they have cancer," Bill remembers.

With a 14-year-old son of his own, Bill wanted to explore all of his options.

"I don't want to face prostate cancer again later in life," Bill says.

Dr. Brian Butler is a robotic surgeon at Waukesha Memorial Hospital. He introduced Bill to the idea of robotic surgery. Bill was skeptical at first.

"I gotta get through the Star Wars moment of realizing I got a physician who's not really physically connected to me," Bill admits.

That's right. The surgeon is about 10 feet away controlling the robot! The robot enables doctors to perform delicate procedures through tiny incisions.

"The robot doesn't do anything I don't tell it to do. I am physically controlling everything the robot does inside the body," Dr. Butler says.

Patients typically experience less pain and shorter recovery than with open surgery. But....it's not for everyone.

"Robotic surgery tends to be the best choice for patients who are younger, patients who have disease that's only localized to the prostate itself," Dr. Butler explains.

Now, Bill is back at work and feeling great...ready to move on with his life.

"Not having to worry about having either a recurrence or occurrence of prostate cancer, so I'm in a very good place," Bill exclaims.

Robotic surgery is constantly evolving. Surgeons have to go through extensive training to learn the technology.

Several other hospitals in the area also offer robotic surgery. Most procedures are covered by Medicare and private insurers.