BREAKING: Johnson & Johnson finally unveils its new robot-assisted surgery system

November 21, 2020 Digital Surgery, Johnson & Johnson, Medical Devices, Minimally Invasive, Robotics

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Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) today shared details on its surgical robotic platform that it says offers unrivaled flexibility and control compared to the rest of the market.

The new system is designed with six arms to provide more control and flexibility in surgery, while its arms will be integrated into the operating table. Additionally, the platform has a zero-footprint design to enable patient access, increase space in the operating room and improve workflow.

J&J’s unveiling included a name for the new platform: Ottava.

In Italian, “Ottava” means to play music an octave higher, according to J&J robotics chief development officer Dr. Frederic Moll, an Intuitive Surgical co-founder who joined J&J through its acquisition of his Auris Health in 2019.

“That (an octave higher) is what we mean to enable in medical intervention,” Moll said during a medical device update presentation today.

Robot-assisted surgery is currently a hot area in medtech — with J&J, Medtronic and others seeking to take on Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG), which dominates the space with its da Vinci robots.

J&J believes its developing platform offers more than any other available system in terms of flexibility.

“Currently, there is no robotic system that provides robotic control and coordination across a full breadth of procedures,” Moll said. “It is my team’s ambition to enable our platform to improve outcomes across a broad range of disease states.”

Moll said J&J is in the “exciting stage of development” where the platform is “coming to life.”

The company is planning on beginning verification and validation processes for Ottava in 2021, followed by enrollment in clinical trials for the device in 2022.

J&J’s digital ecosystem — designed to connect its surgical and robotic platforms — is set to power Ottava, while the company has eyes on combining it with the FDA-cleared Monarch robotic surgical platform acquired from Auris Health to access and treat challenging anatomy in a minimally invasive way.

By Sean Whooley | MassDevice

Image Credit: Johnson & Johnson

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