Houston... we have a surgical robot?

August had some interesting stories in surgical robotics, but not quite the headlines of wild funding rounds that we have come to expect. Depending on who you speak to there is an air of pessimism about the global economy, I am aware of a couple of small layoffs in the industry and some talented people are available on the job market as well as some of the next gen projects getting mothballed. Could the lack of deals flowing be a sign that there are turbulent waters ahead?

So, in August there were some cool things, a robot is hitching a lift to space, a prototype system was unveiled which is incredibly unique, a Series A round in Hong Kong, a couple of leadership announcements. There was also a $400Mn IPO announcement…. okay, I may be cheating here as technically this was announced in June, but I never saw a single piece of news about this, and it is certainly worth covering.

One small step for man. One giant leap for Mira.

No doubt one of my favourite stories that has been this year is that Virtual Incision are sending their robot into the deep dark depths of space. The MIRA will hitch a ride to the international space station in 2024 where during the trip the system will work completely autonomously. The robot will be tasked with simulating surgical movements, cutting rubber bands and guiding metal rings along a wire. On the mission, an astronaut will flip a switch, the robot will complete its tasks and 2 hours later the work is done. This is a data collection exercise that will provide valuable insight in how to perform procedures within Zero gravity, with the robot working autonomously to preserve communications bandwidth.

It is worth looking at why this system was selected. For a start, the system only weighs 2lb’s and is super small. On a space mission there is no room to waste and so selecting a small system would have been a critical requirement as to who could ‘hitch a ride’. The Mira will be fitting in a locker the size of a “microwave”. ?This, coupled with the fact that there is a precedence of NASA using this robot. In a previous experiment, retired NASA astronaut Clayton Anderson took the robot’s controls at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and directed MIRA to perform surgery-like tasks in an operating room 900 miles away at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.?

Along with hitching a ride, Virtual Incision will also receive a grant of $100,000 to ready the surgical robot for a 2024 test mission aboard the International Space Station.?“As people go further and deeper into space, they might need to do surgery someday,” Farritor said. “We’re working toward that goal.”

AiM grant funding and prototype unveiled

AiM Medical Robotics is a neurosurgical robotics company that is working to bring high levels of precision, automation, and efficiency, to the complex environment of neurosurgery for patients undergoing neurosurgery for Functional brain disorders (Parkinson’s, Epilepsy, etc). AiM’s system is operational in an MRI scanner which is a real challenge. MRI-Compatible components are not off the shelf, not easy to produce and simply haven't been seen in robotic surgery (in a commercial setting) despite being researched in research labs for decades.?AiM Medical Robotics ?have developed a unique system that can be used in an MRI Scanner, giving live and precise image guided robots to neurosurgery, meaning better decisions and live insights that create better clinical care, whilst also providing a greater ROI.

Furthering this, AiM are also the receipt of funding from?‘The Sontag Foundation ?Innovation Fund’.?Bob Cathcart ,?CEO of AiM "The Sontag Foundation's commitment to fund innovative advancements towards the treatment of brain tumours perfectly aligns with AiM's core values, and we look forward to a fruitful collaboration."?

巧捷力医疗机器人

?If you blinked you could have missed this, however a new robot has entered the scene, having reached a significant clinical milestone, and completing a $6Mn Series A round. On June 28, Agilis Surgical Limited’s robot completed the first live animal test at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The test was successfully completed by Prof. Wu Zhihui and Prof. Zhang Yuanjin from the Department of Urology of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The system is a flexible endoscope which is even smaller than the current options available on the market at just 2.55mm which is miniscule. The system will have additional indications in respiratory tract, oesophagus, stomach, colorectal, bladder, etc. There are some very interesting systems coming out of APAC, could this region be the new high growth area that sees waves of innovation?

Medbot raising more capital??

After initially listing on the HKSE with an IPO of $200Mn, the Chinese based company, MicroPort MedBot (a subsidiary of Microport), has announced a $400Mn IPO, this time on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. This announcement was made in June, but with so little publicity around this I missed it in that edition. Medbot are making some serious moves in the robotics space and investing heavily into their development. ?

Stereotaxis Leadership

Stereotaxis have announced 2 new senior hires. Frank Van Hyfte will take the reigns as VP of EMEA. Frank has worked in numerous surgical robotics companies, most recently with eCential robotics, along with a 15-year stint at Intuitive.

Secondly, they have added Tim Glynn to the roster as VP of Market Development. Tim comes from Acutus medical, where he most recently served as VP of Market and Business Development. Acutus is a dynamic arrhythmia care company focused on developing distinct, innovative technologies?that provide physicians and patients with improved results. Tim led a key partnership between Acutus and Stereotaxis, so it is easy to see how this transition made sense.

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Robots Squared

For the first time ever, a microsurgical procedure was completed completely robotically using MMI - Medical Microinstruments, Inc. ; Symani Surgucal System and supported by BHS Technologies RoboticScope. A team led by Dr. Maximilian Kückelhaus and Prof. Tobias Hirsch from the Centre for Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Münster.

The Symani has garnered a lot of press recently given the $75MN Venture Investment in the business, the system “adopts human hand movements via an electromagnetic field and joysticks. The robot carries out the operating surgeon’s movements, reduced in size by up to 20 times, via tiny instruments and in doing so, completely eliminates any shaking present in (human) hands” (Medica Magazine, 2022)

The robotic scope is a 3d augmented robotic microscope, which combines the movement of the surgeons head to navigate menus and give precise imaging and angles to the surgeon to make informed decisions about the surgery. Having had a go with the robotic scope, and before I scare anyone, it was on a training model. It really feels like you are being placed into the procedure and have great control over the microscope; and although I am by no means a surgeon, it allowed me to practice my skills and get a feel for microsurgery very quickly.

This is a super interesting step, as it means there are 2 big advantages to the surgeon. Firstly, there is tremorless instrumentation which is vastly reduced in size, meaning less invasive and less chance of surgical complications. ?Secondly, the combination of advanced microscopic visualisation allows the surgeons to make better and informed decisions.

?“This new method for operations enables us to work with a much higher degree of delicacy and precision than is possible with conventional operating techniques,” says Maximilian Kückelhaus. “As a result, less tissue is destroyed, and patients recover faster.”?

Final notes

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About the Author

Henry Norton works for Cruxx , a MedTech executive search and selection firm who work globally. Henry is one of the Directors and specifically handles the surgical robotics market, working on Leadership, Commercial & R&D positions. Feel free to reach out if you are growing your team or are interested in a new position