As essentially all operations performed with open laparotomy can be completed with minimal access, surgeons and industry continue to push the boundaries of minimally invasive surgery. New and controversial approaches, such as natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) and single incision or single port surgery are being explored with the goal of reduced surgical morbidity. The fundamental idea of single port surgery is therefore to minimize the number of abdominal wall incisions and allow access for all laparoscopic instruments through one skin incision. Several techniques in use require specialized equipment with multiple ports through one umbilical incision or one multichannel port. For single port surgery to be widely adopted surgeons must demonstrate safety, efficacy and reproducibility of the technique across a wide range of patients and clinical scenarios. In order to meet these requirements concerns about well-founded surgical training and quality monitoring must be addressed as with any major technical advance.