The state Board of Regents approved the purchase of a $2.2 million surgical robot by the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics at a meeting Monday.

The da Vinci Si Firefly surgical robot would allow surgeons to perform surgery through a remote control with small instruments attached to the robot. The method allows the surgeon to access hard-to-reach areas and is designed to be more precise, moving a half inch for every inch the operator moves.

Equipment purchases at regent institutions that cost more than $1 million must be approved by the regents.

— by Asmaa Elkeurti