The Italian-born and trained surgeon has been "the first in the world to successfully complete some of the most complex robotic procedures," says Ryan Rhodes of Intuitive Surgical -- and he's done it in operating rooms that are poorly laid out for robotic instruments. So Dr. Pier Giulianotti, 55, has launched a $5 million project to design the OR of the future. On his wish list: imaging displays instead of walls and flexible operating tables that allow patients to be positioned in ways that provide the surgical team with the ideal access. "The old OR model is obsolete," Giulianotti says. "We need to integrate the latest technology." -- by Chuck Salter