Medtronic has developed an AI computing platform for its Hugo surgical robot that enables real-time artificial intelligence to support decision-making during procedures2. The platform, called Touch Surgery Aide, incorporates Nvidia's computing infrastructure and runs Medtronic's AI application known as Instrument Exit Point, or IEP.
The IEP application has received Food and Drug Administration clearance, Medtronic said. It is the company's first real-time AI application for robotic procedures.
Medtronic will offer an early look at the new platform this week at the Society of Robotic Surgery meeting in Florida.
The Touch Surgery Aide computing platform expands on Medtronic's existing Touch Surgery ecosystem, which is used in more than 1,500 operating rooms worldwide for pre-operative planning, training, intra-operative tele-proctoring, and post-operative insights, according to the company.
Medtronic received FDA clearance in December for use of its Hugo robot in urologic procedures, becoming the first major medtech company to challenge Intuitive's lead in the U.S. robotic soft tissue surgery market. Medtronic has since filed for FDA clearance in general surgeries and gynecologic specialties.
ANALYSIS The addition of FDA-cleared, real-time AI to the Hugo robot pairs two competitive vectors — robotic surgical hardware and intraoperative AI — into a single integrated offering. By building on Nvidia's computing infrastructure, Medtronic is leveraging an established AI compute stack rather than developing proprietary silicon, which could accelerate iteration on future surgical AI applications within the Touch Surgery ecosystem.