Computer Motion Robotic Arm for Surgery

Technology developed under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract was used to produce an Automated Endoscopic System for Optical Positioning (AESOP) that assists surgeons in the operating room in non-invasive surgical procedures. The robotic arm which is controlled by the surgeon, takes over the job of a surgical assistant, holding and positioning the laparoscope used by the surgeon to see inside the patient through a small incision. Sales to date are in the range of $8 million.

The combination of human and robotic skills made possible with Computer Motion's innovation may some day be used to service satellites in space, to monitor and service experiments on Space Station, and assist in the servicing and inspection of Shuttle payloads.

AESOP has potential application in the nearly one million endoscopic surgical procedures performed each year in the U.S. alone. The procedure yields significant cost savings since it eliminates the need for a surgical assistant to hold the laparoscope during surgery. AESOP can also be safer because it holds the laparoscope more steadily, improving the surgeons vision during the operation. In December of 1997, the Food and Drug Administration gave approval to Computer Motion for a voice activated robotic arm.

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