It looks like a space-age weapon from a science fiction film.

But this surgical robot is now being used to remove prostates from cancer victims at Southmead Hospital.

The £1.5 million robot is so precise it can peel the skin off a grape.

This accuracy means patients will recover faster and will be less likely to suffer complications.

The robot could be used in the future for ear, nose, throat and gynaecological operations.

Instead of surgeons holding operating instruments, special tools are attached to the robotic arms.

A large cut is not needed at the start of the operation.

Instead, small cuts are made so rods with tools attached can be inserted inside the body. These rods are fixed to the robot and the surgeon controls the arms from a console nearby.

The small incisions heal quicker than larger cuts, which means patients usually only have to spend a day in hospital rather than three or four and should recover from the operation within a couple of weeks, whereas with traditional surgery it takes about six weeks.

It is also more likely to completely clear the cancer and prevent any problems with urinary or sexual function.

Before using the robot, Bristol surgeons were trained at the Institute of Telesurgery in Strasbourg.

They expect to use the procedure on about 150 men this year.

The team from the Bristol Urological Institute believes the number of operations will increase as more GPs from further afield start referring patients to the unit.

And they will be able to operate on more patients because the precision of the robot means they should not be operating on as many people suffering complications as a result of their prostate being removed.

The team plans to start removing bladders from people with cancer.

There are several surgical robots being used in London hospitals and one in Reading.

Consultant urological surgeon, Ed Rowe, said: "We are using this technology to improve cancer control but there are also functional results in terms of continence and sexual function.

"It improves the return to normal activity because there is not a big incision and we hope to get patients home within 24 hours.

"The robot will pay for itself in terms of the additional patients and also, we won't be treating side effects and problems from treating in the more traditional way."

Director of the BUI and consultant surgeon, David Gillatt, said: "Our aim has been to reduce the harm to the patient by making surgery more precise.

"Before we were using laparoscopy but that is like using chopsticks because there is not the same freedom of movement.

"With the robot you can move around at 360 degrees."

"I'm sure robots are the future and I think in five to 10 years time a lot of other areas will be benefiting from the precision they bring."

Mr Gillatt said that using the robot for head and neck surgery could prevent surgeons having to remove part of the face.

Prostate cancer affects about 35,000 men a year and kills about a third of them. March is prostate cancer awareness month.

The BUI is involved in research to find better ways of diagnosing prostate cancer. Currently a blood test tells patients if they are at risk but further investigation is needed to confirm if they have the disease.