Cambridge Medical Robotics touts prototype, releases details on system

Cambridge Medical Robotics said today it completed construction and development of its 1st robotic surgical system prototype, and released details on the device it previously kept secret.

The U.K.-based company’s surgical robot is modular, and uses multiple collaborative, repositionable, force-sensitive robotic arms that “mimic the movements of a surgeon.” The system also offers 3D high-definition imagery, and provides operating surgeon with force feedback during procedures.

“Within the next decade I believe versatile surgical robotic systems will become a standard feature in operating theatres and a critical extension of the modern day surgeon. The CMR system is unique in its versatility and economic sustainability, and is an extremely valuable addition to the surgical robotic market, enabling many more surgeons to deliver keyhole surgical procedures to a broader spectrum of patients,” medical director Mark Slack said in a press release.

Cambridge Medical Robotics said its system features “significantly enhanced” flexibility to mimic human hand dexterity, touting that its sensitivity “has so far been lacking in current surgical robotic systems on the market.”

“CMR seeks to expand the current $2.3 billion market for robotic minimal access surgery by a factor of 10 with its versatile, universal surgical robotic platform. With a fully maneuverable wristed system and small form factor, the system promises to make the benefits of robotic minimal access surgery accessible at a price that will be substantially lower than competing technologies. The recent prototype demonstration has enabled the Company to substantiate its claims and to meet all of its pre-agreed investor milestones. This represents a huge achievement for the CMR team in under 2 years,” CEO Martin Frost said in prepared remarks.

The company did not release the official name of the robotic system, but said it “overcomes” obstacles such as robot and instrument size, port placement, cost and ease of use that have acted as hurdles for other robotic systems.

In July, Cambridge Medical Robotics said it is tilting at a growing robotic surgery market and taking aim at market leader Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG), according to an interview with Business Weekly.

The company is headed by former Sargentia CEO Martin Frost, who said the company is taking aim at Intuitive Surgical and their daVinci robot system.

In 2013, Frost was at the head of a similar startup, called Kinective Surgical, according to an interview with Cabume.

Frost said Kinective Surgical, launched in 2012, aimed to raise $5 million to seek FDA approval for a minimally invasive robotic surgery system. The system was slated to be configurable so purchasers could choose which elements they need, instead of having to buy a full platform, to keep the cost down and make it easier to compete against expensive devices such as the daVinci.

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