Replacable Tools

Replacement Tools

Need

Current minimally invasive surgery (MIS) methods greatly benefit patients, but surgeons' dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and skill are substantially reduced.

Loss of dexterity and hand-eye coordination means that surgeons typically use MIS techniques only for simpler procedures such as gall bladder removal.

Solution

• Developed telepresence surgery technology that can restore surgeons' skills, expanding the use of MIS to complex procedures such as heart bypass surgery
• Developed a prototype MIS telepresence system and demonstrated successful animal surgeries

Result

MIS telepresence systems now under commercial development by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. of Mountain View, California venture capital funding of $30 million)