In 1985, the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College began research into medical robotics for neurosurgery. Further research into a robot for prostatectomy, commencing in 1988, culminated in 1991 in a "World First" with the demonstration of robotic prostate surgery. This robot was the world's first special purpose robot to actively remove tissue from a human patient in an operating theatre.

With the expansion of robotic surgery applications, the Mechatronics in Medicine Laboratory was set up in 1993, as part of the Computer Aided Systems Engineering Section, to research and develop mechatronic aids to surgery. The group has gained a worldwide reputation as a centre of excellence for medical robotic research.

The group has developed mechatronic applications in fields as diverse as neurosurgery, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible robotics, haptic training systems for surgeons, urological surgery and orthopaedics, high intensity focused ultrasound and blood sampling.

The Mechatronics in Medicine lab is now a research group of the Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London.