8 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
Olympus
FlexDex
medical.olympusamerica.com
There's some interest now in
developing mechanical systems
that aren't necessarily mecha-
tronic. The idea is that instead of
investing in a multimillion-dollar
robot, you'd still be giving the
surgeon an instrument with a
flexible wrist at the end, but at a
much lower cost. The disposable
FlexDex device is an example.
It's mechanical, but not mechatronic. It gives the surgeon a wristed
instrument that allows you to do what you could do with a robot, with-
out buying a robotic system. It's a 3-axis gimbal that attaches to the
surgeon's wrist, and essentially translates all of the surgeon's physical
movements into corresponding movements of an end-effector inside
the patient. And it combines with Olympus's Endoeye Flex laparo-
scope, which enables you to wear 3D glasses to get immersive imaging
while you're operating with these dexterous instruments.
