FEED-BACK.COM E-ZINE

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2009
Volume 12 Issue 1

Medical Robotics

Being first to market with a viable product in a new technology is usually a good thing. Was that the case for Computer Motion Inc. and Integrated Surgical Systems Inc. ten years ago? Let's see.

Historical Perspectives (1998)

The 4th issue of the 1999 edition of Feed-back.com's E-zine ("Tele-Med-E-Zine") included brief updates about both companies. The original article is out-of-print, but excerpts are reprinted verbatim below. [1]

[April 1999] As a leader in image-directed surgical robotic products, Integrated Surgical Systems Inc. (ISS; Davis CA) is consistently selling the ROBODOC Surgical Assistant in overseas markets. The latest customer is Klinikum Konstanz (Freiburg Germany), the first in the southern region of the country to choose ROBODOC. This sale completes the 21st installation for ISS in Germany and the 29th worldwide. As a teaching facility for the University of Freiburg, the Konstanz Klinic will demonstrate the value of the ROBODOC in hip surgeries, where implant fit is an important component for permanent prosthesis procedures.

[April 1999] In other news, Computer Motion (Santa Barbara CA) has developed the HEARS speech recognition engine, a voice control interface to support the Company's existing computer-enhanced and robotic surgical systems. A new patent has also been issued to cover a technique that allows natural (rather than reversed) hand movements to be used by surgeons for manipulating and controlling instruments during a procedure.

According to Wikipedia, a brief corporate chronology indicates that Computer Motion Inc. merged with Intuitive Surgical Inc. (Sunnyvale CA) in 2003. [2] Both companies were making money. For the nine months ending September 2002, Computer Motion generated approximately $25 million in revenues. For the twelve month period through September 2002, Intuitive Surgical posted $46 million in sales. [3] Despite surviving longer as an independent company, Integrated Surgical Systems merged with Novatrix Biomedical in 2007. [4]

The Competitive Landscape

A journal article published in the 2008 included market estimates from Business Communications Company. Total revenues for the medical robotics and computer-assisted surgery systems market were projected to rise from $1.3 billion in 2006 to reach $5.7 billion by 2011. The surgical robotics segment was expected to grow 43% for the same time period. [5] A recent report from Wintergreen Research in January 2008 forecasts that the world market for robot-assisted surgical systems may grow from $1 billion to $1.4 billion from 2008 through 2014. [7]

Online sources indicate that Intuitive Surgical is a leading competitor, generating $600 million in revenues for the year ending December 2007. [6] Among the manufacturers profiled in Wintergreen's report, several are world leaders in the automotive and electronics industries: Fujitsu, Hitachi Ltd., Honda, and Toshiba Zeiss.

[1] "Tele-Med-Ezine", Feedback Research Services / Feed-back.com, Volume 2, Issue 4, April 1999.

[2] "Intuitive Surgical", Wikipedia.

[3] "Surgery In The 21st Century", Forbes, February 1st, 2002.

[4] "RoboDoc Developers Paying Employees To Stay Through Merger", Sacramento Business Journal, June 13, 2007.

[5] "Metrology And Standards Needs For Some Categories Of Medical Devices", Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Volume 113, Number 2, March-April 2008.

[6] http://www.answers.com/topic/intuitive-surgical-inc.

[7] "Surgical Robot Market Shares, Market Strategies, and Market Forecasts, 2008-2014", Wintergreen Research, January 2008.

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