From left to right: Medtronic’s Hugo surgical robot, Intuitive’s da Vinci surgical robot, and Stryker’s latest Mako surgical robot. | Source: Medtronic, Intuitive Surgical, and Stryker
Intuitive Surgical Inc. remains the leading surgical robotics provider — but other companies with savvy strategies are generating buzz and raising money.
Surgical robotics experts agree that the most promising technologies provide robot-assisted surgery options that don’t directly compete with Intuitive. The decades-long leader in soft-tissue procedures launched its next-gen da Vinci 5 system last year.
“The other companies are having some success again by trying to find areas where they have a unique proposition,” said surgical robotics expert Steve Bell, who will be a keynote speaker at DeviceTalks Boston from April 30 to May 1. “And I think that all the companies that do that are going to have a little bit more success by doing that and not having to spend the massive marketing dollars to compete with Intuitive head-on.”
Surgical robotics firms diversify
In addition to Intuitive, and there’s medtech giant Medtronic, which is seeking urological indications for its Hugo robot at the U.S. Food and Drug administration. It has also enjoyed success with its Mazor robots for spine surgery.
Johnson & Johnson is developing its Ottava system, which recently secured an investigational device exemption (IDE) from the FDA.
Meanwhile, Stryker has enjoyed a great deal of success in orthopedic surgery with its Mako robots — with competitors now on the market with their ortho surgery systems. The company today announced Mako 4, the next generation of its platform.
MassDevice recently found that the top seven companies that disclosed fundraising have brought in more than $2 billion in total. Here are 10 surgical robotics companies to know and the names of their robots:
| Company | Robotic systems |
| Intuitive Surgical | Da Vinci 5, Da Vinci Xi, Da Vinci X, Da Vinci SP, Ion |
| Medtronic | Hugo, Mazor |
| Stryker | Mako |
| CMR Surgical | Versius |
| Vicarious Surgical | Vicarious Surgical System |
| Distalmotion | Dexter |
| Capstan Medical | Capstan Platform |
| Noah Medical | Galaxy System |
| Momentis Surgical | Anovo Surgical System |
| Monteris Medical | NeuroBlate |
MassDevice, a sibling site to The Robot Report, is offering a free Surgical Robotics Special Report. It provides more information about these 10 surgical robotics companies, including how much money they have raised, plus 47 more. (Here are the companies it listed a year ago.)
Learn more about surgical robots at the Robotics Summit
To learn more about the latest surgical robot advancements, the Robotics Summit & Expo will feature a track dedicated to healthcare robots. The show takes place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and is co-located with DeviceTalks.
This year, the summit’s healthcare track will feature talks from both component and full system providers. These include Novanta, RTI, ForceN, and the latest cohort in MassRobtoics‘ healthcare robotics startup catalyst.
DeviceTalks Boston is the premier event for medical technology professionals, currently in its tenth year. Both events attract engineering and business professionals from a broad range of healthcare and medical technology backgrounds.
This year’s Robotics Summit & Expo, produced by WTWH Media, parent company of The Robot Report and MassDevice, will bring together more than 5,000 attendees focused on building commercial robots for various industries. Attendees can gain insights into the latest enabling technologies, engineering best practices, emerging trends, and more.
Editor’s note: This article was syndicated from The Robot Report sibling site MassDevice.
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