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ventional laparoscopic instruments and use the system's clutch to lock the arms
in place. TransEnterix applied for 510k clearance for the bot in the spring of 2015
and expects to receive it in the coming months.
• Sport System. Titan Medical intends to launch its single-port Sport System next
year. The robot is similar to the da Vinci in that surgeons manipulate articulating
instruments while sitting at a separate console and viewing 3D images of the
anatomy. The system's reposable robotic instruments are intended to reduce the
technology's per-case cost, and its portable mast and boom design allows for
maneuvering around tight spaces in the operating rooms of smaller hospitals or
surgery centers.
• J&J-Google partnership. Then there's the buzz surrounding Johnson & Johnson
partnering with Google to bring a robot online in the near future. "They haven't
talked much about the system, so I can only assume it's in the very preliminary
stages of development," says Dr. Schabowsky. "The partnership shows that
there's great interest in the future of robotic surgery among the major compa-
nies. It's not just the small players that are trying to get a foothold in the mar-
ket."
That market is evolving, but it will take time before the addition of new
players translates into lower entry-level prices and increased access to the
technology. "Administrators at hospitals who are making purchasing decisions
are champing at the bit for competition," says Dr. Schabowsky. He says recent
estimates put the cost of the Sport System and SurgiBot at $400,000 to $600,000,
which is about one-fourth of what the da Vinci Xi costs. "They're going to be
market disrupters."
Surgeon approved
Nicole B. White, MD, FACS, head of the section of general surgery at Northwest
Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle, Wash., has been in practice for 12 years.
She first sat down at the controls of the da Vinci to perform multi-port gallblad-
der surgery about 3 years ago. In January 2013, she performed her first robotic
