Medical

The EksoNR includes a touchscreen controller for therapists. Image: Ekso Bionics RICHMOND, Calif. – Ekso Bionics Holdings today unveiled the EksoNR, the next generation of its EksoGT robotic exoskeleton, developed for neurorehabilitation purposes. The EksoNR is an intuitive exoskeleton that “empowers patients recovering from stroke or other conditions to learn to walk again with a more natural gait. New features and software enhancements now give physical therapists and patients to get more out of each rehabilitation session, the company said. For example, EksoNR is equipped with EksoView, a new touchscreen controller that lets therapists intuitively adapt assistance to challenge patients by using real-time feedback, and perform outcome measures during use. The EksoView gives visualization...

Corindus is seeking premarket approval from the FDA to use its CorPath robotics system for stroke treatment. Source: Corindus Vascular Robotics WALTHAM, Mass. – Corindus Vascular Robotics, which developers precision vascular surgical robots, today announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Siemens Healthineers AG. Under terms of the agreement, Siemens Medical Solutions, a subsidiary of Siemens Healthineers, will acquire all issued and outstanding shares of common stock for Corindus for $4.28 per share in cash, approximately worth $1.1 billion. “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Siemens Healthineers,” said Mark J. Toland, president and CEO of Corindus. “We believe the transaction will deliver immediate, compelling, and certain value to all Corindus sto...

Howie Choset, Carnegie Mellon. Source: CMU FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – RoboBusiness today announced that Dr. Howie Choset, the Kavcic-Moura Professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, will provide the opening keynote for RoboBusiness 2019 on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019. RoboBusiness will be held from Oct. 1-3, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. Howie Choset, Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University His presentation, “AI to the Rescue: The Future of Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing” will focus on the steps that U.S. manufacturing needs to take to keep up with Asia and Europe, as well as how the democratization of robots will transform the future of robotics across several vertical markets. Choset serves as the co-director of the Biorobotics Lab, and is the director of the undergraduate Robotics m...

Ekso Bionics Holdings today announced it expanded its medical exoskeleton portfolio with a new upper extremity rehabilitation device, the EksoUE. The wearable upper body exoskeleton assists patients with a broad range of upper extremity impairments, providing them with “a wider range of motion and increased endurance for rehabilitation sessions of higher dose and intensity.” The EKSoUE is put on similar to a jacket, and is secured at the waist, arms, and wrists, Ekso said. Lift assistance is provided by passive mechanisms located on the arms, and does not require any battery power. The company said EksoUE is registered with the FDA as a Class I medical device. Collaboration with Johns Hopkins The EksoUE was developed through a collaboration between Ekso Bionics and The Johns Hopkins Univer...

An artist rendition of a medical laboratory with non-surgical collaborative robots Image: ABB Robotics ZURICH – ABB today announced it will introduce non-surgical collaborative robots to medical laboratories as part of a new healthcare hub at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) innovation campus in Houston, Texas. Set to open in October 2019, the facility will be ABB’s first dedicated research health center, the company said in a statement. ABB’s research team will work on the TMC campus with medical staff, scientists, and engineers to develop non-surgical medical robotics systems, including logistics and next-generation automated laboratory technologies. Sami Atiya, ABB “The next-generation laboratory processes developed in Houston will speed manual medical laboratory processes, reducing and e...

It’s awards season for the robotics industry, or so it would seem. A number of robotics awards have been given out recently, highlighting advances in piece picking, UV disinfecting, and agriculture. Here’s a look at a few noteworthy wins, showcasing new and improved ways of incorporating robotics into practical everyday operations. Berkshire Grey wins ABB robotics award Berkshire Grey announced that it is the recipient of ABB Robotics’ “Most Innovative Solutions” Award. The award was announced at ABB Robotics’ 2019 Americas Value Provider Conference in Auburn Hills, Mich., in recognition of Berkshire Grey’s portfolio of solutions built around robotic item-level picking and placing for retail, e-commerce, and omnichannel order fulfillment. A Berkshire Grey robot in action “We at ABB Robotic...

May 29, 2019       Emilia Marius The idea of robots in improving healthcare is not new – as early as 1985 there was a plan to transform industrial robots into precision machines for surgery and beyond. The appearance and improvement of the DaVinci robot in the early 2000s and this iconic grape surgery video prove how far technological development has come. But no matter how impressive, robotics in healthcare is still a system controlled by humans. The real magic of the 21st-century robo-doctor will come from artificial intelligence systems that can learn so much that it will outperform the best doctors by combining all the available knowledge in all medical repositories. However, most experts agree that AI will not replace trained medical staff, just make them more efficient in several are...

[embedded content] Robotic surgery and its da Vinci system have almost become synonymous terms. Even with multiple surgical robotic systems available, the Intuitive Surgical machine remains the workhorse and most widely used robotic device. Interestingly, new designs that allow for single-port access could lead to the creation of a bread-and-butter system that could be used for multiple procedures across specialties – dare we say standard? For almost 20 years, Intuitive has progressively improved the da Vinci device through five models – the Standard, S, Si, Xi, and the recent hybrid X models. All of these have followed the usual pattern of multi-port access to the abdominal and thoracic cavities, allowing surgeons to triangulate on the tissue of interest. Intuitive Surgical Da Vinci SP Bu...

Nicholson Center expands to train growing number of global medical professionals in surgical innovations. Image: Nicholson Center CELEBRATION, Fla. – The AdventHealth Nicholson Center, one of the world’s leading surgical robot training centers, recently announced the addition of 10 new lab stations. The Nicholson center now has 60 lab stations that are equipped with 25 external cameras and are all teleconference ready. J. Scott Magnuson, AdventHealth Nicholson Center. “We have invested in new facilities and equipment that allow us to offer more training opportunities in the newest surgical techniques and technologies. We cannot remain static as the medical world around us continues to advance and change,” said J. Scott Magnuson, MD, chief medical officer at AdventHealth Nicholson Center. “...

When Michel Fornasier dons his sparkling blue cape, he ceases to be a normal human with everyday problems and limitations. He transforms into his alter ego, Bionicman, has unlimited powers, is able to fly, and even to turn back time. Yes, it’s really him, Bionicman! “The costume creates this special kind of magic,” Fornasier said. “When I’m standing in front of school kids, they actually believe that they’re looking at the real Bionicman. That’s just an amazing feeling.” Michel Fornasier has been wearing a bionic hand prosthesis for slightly over four years. The man from Switzerland has set himself the goal of introducing children to the topic of “people with physical disabilities.” He uses his alter ego Bionicman to do so. However, Fornasier isn’t wearing his superhero costume just to mak...

Robotics Business Review is proud to announce the RBR50 2019, our annual list of the top 50 robotics companies as determined by our judging team, which this year included assistance from top research firm IDC. Now in its 8th year, the RBR50 is the premier listing of the most innovative and commercially successful robotics companies around the world. Every year, the list continually evolves to reflect changes in the industry, giving readers a great starting point for finding out the companies leading the charge in commercial and industrial robotics. To download your FREE copy of the RBR50 2019 report to find out who made the list, fill out the information below. Robotics Business Review