J&J originally projected its Ottava soft-tissue robotic surgery system would enter first-in-human trials in 2022 and reach the market by 2023, but the development has been delayed by technical challenges and COVID-19-related disruptions. Now the company plans to start trials of a four-armed version of the device in about a year.

Now more than ever, surgeons have the option to pick which robot they wish to use in surgery. Picking apart the reasons why reveals much similarity between the two surgical disciplines.

Newcomers to the market have increased the number of options available to both soft tissue and orthopedic surgeons when selecting a robot. Despite the two disciplines' differences, the factors considered by surgeons when picking a system are relatively similar.

Marcio Coelho, chief commercial officer of robotic assisted surgery company CMR Surgical, updated In Vivo on the company’s unique approach to expanding uptake of its technologies in global markets, including those that are underserved in RAS devices.