Medical

Source: Tru-D HAMILTON, N.J. — Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton recently added a new member to its staff. Here’s the catch, the new worker isn’t a human. The hospital has invested in Tru-D, “Total Room ultraviolet disinfection,” a UVC disinfection robot that helps keep patients and staff safe from harmful germs. The robot delivers one automated, measured dose of UVC light to consistently disinfect an entire room during one cycle. It operates from one placement within the room, ensuring significant pathogen reduction in direct and shadowed areas. “We are excited to bring in this innovative and scientifically-validated technology to improve the experience for our patients and staff,” said Richard Freeman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Robert Wood Johnson University...

Source: Osso VR Osso VR recently demonstrated its virtual reality training module for Smith & Nephew’s NAVIO Surgical System, giving surgeons the ability for immersive coaching for a robotics-assisted device. The combination of handheld robotics and VR are emerging technologies in medicine, the company said, leading to rapidly advancing changes in areas like surgery, to provide repeatable and efficient, high quality outcomes. The company demonstrated its system at the recent American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2019 Annual Meeting. Source: Smith & Nephew “NAVIO is a natural fit for virtual training and assessment as it involves robotics-assisted surgical steps coupled with a novel software interface, and Osso VR has demonstrated success instilling confidence in the techn...

After a really slow period of transactions in recent weeks, some investments in the robotics world have picked up of late, at least in regards to hardware companies. While artificial intelligence-based companies continue to shine, we saw several healthcare-related robotics companies making some headlines in recent weeks. This week we’re highlighting 15 recent transactions covering the robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence space. If you’ve missed some transactions over the past few months, you can track them through the RBR Transactions Database. This regularly updated database lets you sort deals by company, industry, technology, or transaction type. Surgical and health robots shine We’ll start this week’s roundup in the surgical robot space, where a couple of large transaction...

CEO Ben Wolff talks with RBR about the company’s evolution and growth opportunities for exoskeletons. Source: Sarcos Robotics Over the past 20 to 30 years, the exoskeleton market has seen a variety of changes, from the prosthetics space to military applications that support soldiers in logistics or those who have been injured. These days, many companies are moving into manufacturing and industrial applications, utilizing robotics to help workers get their jobs done more effectively and safely. One company on the forefront of the space is Sarcos Robotics, which creates a number of exoskeleton and robot platforms for … Please create an account to continue reading Thank you for enjoying Robotics Business Review. You’ve reached your monthly article limit. To continue reading, pleas...

[embedded content] The robotics industry is reshaping how various sectors do business. Robotic machines reduce the need for humans to engage in manual tasks, and the equipment doesn’t need breaks like humans do. Robots are already widespread in industries like manufacturing, but many pioneering companies are looking for unconventional ways to use them. Depending on how those projects go, there could be even more diverse uses for machines that benefit the robotics sector and other industries. Here are some experimental uses for robotics that we’re excited for in the near future. 1. Robots as teaching assistants Teachers are starting to use robots in their classrooms. These machines could be particularly advantageous for educators in larger-than-average classrooms or those that perpetually f...

Corindus is seeking premarket approval from the FDA to use its CorPath robotics system for stroke treatment. Source: Corindus Vascular Robotics While much of the world and media focus on how robotics are going to change the landscape of their home, work, or daily commute, a segment of robotics continues to make strides in improving the quality of life for patients who have suffered strokes and other neurological conditions. Three companies within the space, BIONIK Laboratories Corp., Ekso Bionics, and Corindus Vascular Robotics have made recent announcements to further develop products and technologies around the use of robotics for rehabilitative purposes or treatment of stroke-related conditions. In late December 2018, BIONIK and Kindred Hospital Rehabilitation Services announced a multi...

Research firm IDC this week published a forecast for the commercial robots pace, predicting the market could surpass $53 billion by 2022 at a more than 20% compound annual growth rate. For the purposes of the company’s study, commercial service robotics is defined as robots “outside of the traditional industrial manufacturing industries,” which includes robots in retail, hospitality, logistics and distribution, and healthcare. Data from the forecast was sourced from IDC’s “Worldwide Semiannual Robotics and Drones Spending Guide Taxonomy,” which was published in November 2018. Source: IDC Market drivers for the expected growth include advances in safety, collaborative robotics, improved usability, and cost considerations, IDC said. Significant value from robotics adoption “This growth is at...

February 07, 2019       Roger Smith More than 5,000 surgical robots were used in more than 1 million procedures worldwide in the last year. These procedures spanned orthopedics, urology, general surgery, gynecology, neurology, thoracic, otolaryngology, bariatric, rectal and colon, multiple oncologies – even dental implants and hair transplants. Robotic surgery is no longer seen as a technology of the future – it’s an active and effective technology of today. Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robot has dominated the medical, business, and technical communities, but few realize it’s just one of more than a dozen robotic devices that are FDA and CE approved for use in the U.S. and Europe. Lesser-known companies, such as Stereotaxis in cardiac catheterization, Medtronic/Mazor in spine and neurolog...

Source: Medtronic DUBLIN — Medtronic plc this week announced the first U.S. patients treated with the Mazor X Stealth Edition for spine surgery following its recent commercial launch. The Mazor X Stealth Edition offers a fully-integrated procedural solution for surgical planning, workflow, execution and confirmation. The system was first used at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Ky., and Reston Hospital Center in Reston, Va. “It is rare that huge sectors of technology such as robotics and navigation merge into a sole platform as found in the Mazor X Stealth Edition,” said Jeffrey Gum, M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon at Norton Leatherman Spine. “Combined, these may provide more predictable and reliable execution of our procedure workflows. Computerized surgical planning, 3-D assessment of ...

[embedded content] Dozens of teams are competing to apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to solving serious social problems in the IBM Watson AI XPRIZE. A relatively late entry is Zzapp Malaria, which is working to eradicate one of humanity’s most persistent diseases. The company was recently named as one of the current top 10 teams in the multiyear XPRIZE competition, at the NeuIPS conference. In 2017, more than 219 million people were infected with malaria, and more than 435,000 people in Africa died from the mosquito-borne disease. Pregnant women and children under five were most of the fatalities. Israel-based Zzapp Malaria is working to use AI to analyze satellite data and online databases and optimize localized responses such as spraying pesticides. Robotics Business Re...

Source: Intuition Robotics One of the best use cases for service robots is to let people “age in place,” letting them live independently as long as possible in their own homes rather than move in with family or an expensive nursing home. The ElliQ social robot by Intuition Robotics was designed with these users in mind. At last week’s CES 2019 event in Las Vegas, the company announced that ElliQ is available for preorder. Intuition Robotics founders Dor Skuler, Roy Amir, and Itai Mendelsohn. Source: Intuition Robotics “We came out of stealth with a prototype two years ago, and ElliQ was admitted into a design museum,” recalled Dor Skuler, CEO and co-founder of Israel-based Intuition Robotics. “After 11 months of beta testing, we’re pleased to be starting sales of the product.” Beta-testing...

Here are some of the most innovative robots, drones, and AI applications seen among the international startups in Eureka Park 2019. LAS VEGAS — CES, formerly known as the International Consumer Electronics Show, is in full swing here this week, with more than 150,000 attendees, thousands of exhibitors, and our own conference on “Service Robots Arrive in Daily Life.” One of the highlights of CES is the collection of startups from around the world in Eureka Park 2019. While most of the products seen at the Sands Expo Convention Center are in the early stages of commercialization, Eureka Park 2019 is a prime opportunity to … Please create an account to continue reading Thank you for enjoying Robotics Business Review. You’ve reached your monthly article limit. To ...