D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 7
• Versius. CMR Surgical will soon launch Versius, which fea-
tures an open console from which surgeons can operate stand-
ing or sitting. Its 50-pound robotic arms can be positioned inde-
pendently around the table. Expect a leasing agreement in which
facilities pay an annual fee to use the robot, which includes all
instruments and disposables needed for each case, says Dr.
Smith.
• SPORT. Titan Medical's SPORT system has been on the cusp
of receiving FDA approval for close to 5 years, and looks like it
will receive it in 2020, says Dr. Smith. It features an open control
console and single robotic arm from which flexible instruments
and a flexible camera extend.
• Hugo. Medtronic plans to gather clinical data about Hugo's
performance before bringing it to market in perhaps 2 years. The
open-console platform's modular design can accommodate
robotic and laparoscopic instrumentation. The compact, mobile
unit is designed for easy maneuverability and quick set-up.
• Verb Surgical. A partnership between Verily and Johnson &
Johnson is developing a robot that will use artificial intelligence
to help surgeons operate more effectively, says Dr. Smith. Verb
hopes to create a "smart" platform with situational awareness so
the robot can understand how you perform procedures.
• Flex. Medrobotics's Flex works through a natural orifice —
the mouth or the anus, says Dmitry Oleynikov, MD, FACS, profes-
sor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center College of Medicine in Omaha. "Through those
orifices, it does a pretty decent job, but there's just not that many
patients or that big of an opportunity," says Dr. Oleynikov.
— Joe Paone and Daniel Cook
