SURGIBOT SET TO PROVIDE LESS-EXPENSIVE ROBOTIC SURGERY

TransEnterix is Developing a Robotized Version of its Spider Surgical System

Recently we have heard talk of a new, cheaper laparoscopic surgical robot. The SurgiBot is a robotized version of the single-site Spider laparoscopic surgical system, produced by TransEnterix. The US-based company is currently developing the SurgiBot to “address the needs of the large and growing, yet underserved, population of physicians and hospitals who want to offer the benefits of robotic surgery without the functional and economic challenges posed by current solutions.” This quotation from the company’s website is a nod towards the infrastructural and economic costs associated with buying and installing a robotic surgery system. For example a top-of-the-range robot such as the da Vinci system by Intuitive Surgical has an estimated price tag of USD$1.6 million (circa 2012). It would seem TransEnterix is aiming to provide a cheaper alternative and attract more hospitals and clinics that are facing increasing financial constraints .