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Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) is seeking FDA clearance for its RI.Hip Navigation software that would enable the use of its Cori surgical system for total hip arthroplasty.

The London-based medtech company touted the software today at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2021 annual meeting in San Diego. The handheld Cori system is already FDA-cleared for both total and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

Competitors Stryker and Zimmer Biomet already have their Mako and Rosa systems respectively active in the total hip surgery space.

Smith+Nephew officials think they have an edge with small, portable, relatively affordable Cori because the surgeon gets to hold a handheld tool; there is also less radiation exposure associated with preoperative CT imaging. Robotics come into play because the tool’s spinning burr automatically stops when the surgeon is outside an area digitally “painted” beforehand. (S+N director of robotics program management Sara Schneider described the system last year to MassDevice and MDO.)

“We are proud to invest in emerging technologies such as handheld robotics, which support surgeons in their quest to deliver repeatable and efficient high-quality outcomes,” Skip Kiil, Smith+Nephew president of Global Orthopaedics, said in a news release. “Our continued introduction of new technology and the expansion of our robotics team is a major statement of our intention to be at the forefront of this fast-moving area of surgical innovation.”

Also at AAOS 2021, S+N announced the commercial availability of its RI.Insights data management platform, first introduced on a limited basis last year.

Editors note: Smith+Nephew received a 2021 RBR50 award earlier this year for the innovation of the Cori surgical system for robotic assisted knee replacements.