Introduction of the da Vinci robotic surgical system has revolutionized the field of minimally invasive surgery for rectal cancer. Da Vinci robotic technologies could help surgeons overcome the technical difficulties of conventional laparoscopic surgery, showing significant superiority in aspects of 3D visualization, articulated instruments and filtering operating tremor. Accumulated studies have confirmed the safety and feasibility of the da Vinci robotic surgery for rectal cancer. Compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery, the da Vinci robotic rectal surgery has latent advantage in decreasing conversion rate, reducing postoperative morbidity and improving postoperative life quality. In terms of oncological outcome, the robotic rectal surgery has shown comparable long-term outcomes with either open or laparoscopic surgery. At present, natural orifice specimen extraction surgery (NOSES) has been an important branch of robotic rectal surgery. In addition, in the era of high-speed communication, the robotic surgical system would be a key module in telemedicine, actively promoting the innovation of remote consultation, academic communication, hospital construction and even medical treatment model.