Medrobotics

Medrobotics Corporation, established in 2005 as a spin-out from Carnegie Mellon University, developed and marketed the Flex® Robotic System. The company's genesis traces back to the early 1990s and the work of Howie Choset, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Caltech, who conceived of a snake-like robot for surgical applications. Years later, Choset collaborated with Alon Wolf and surgeon Marco Zenati to apply this robotic concept to the medical field, laying the groundwork for what would become Medrobotics. While Choset was the original mind behind the prototype, he credits the company, later led by President and CEO Samuel Straface, with transforming it into a medical-grade robot.

The company's core product, the Flex® Robotic System, was a first-of-its-kind endoluminal platform featuring a steerable and shapeable robotic scope. This design allowed surgeons to navigate complex anatomical pathways through a single entry point, offering access to hard-to-reach locations that were challenging with traditional rigid instruments. The system provided 3D HD visualization and, once positioned, would become a stable platform for various flexible surgical instruments. Its primary market consisted of hospitals and surgeons seeking minimally invasive treatment options. The business model centered on the sale of these robotic systems to healthcare facilities. The technology won several awards, including a Best New Product at the 2017 Edison Awards and a Best-in-Show at the 2016 Medical Design Excellence Awards.

Medrobotics secured significant funding over its lifetime, raising a total of $193 million over 14 rounds from investors such as Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, Hercules Capital, and Slater Technology Fund. The company achieved key regulatory milestones, obtaining a CE mark in Europe in March 2014, followed by FDA clearance for transoral ENT applications in July 2015. It later received FDA clearance for colorectal procedures in May 2017 and for robot-assisted visualization in general surgical, gynecological, and thoracic procedures in early 2018. However, the company faced significant challenges, including a patent and trade secrets infringement lawsuit from Endobotics, which resulted in a substantial judgment against Medrobotics. These legal and financial issues ultimately led to the company filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, with creditors initiating an involuntary petition on January 24, 2022, and its assets being put up for sale.

Keywords: Medrobotics, Flex Robotic System, endoluminal surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive surgery, steerable scope, shapeable scope, single-port surgery, transoral robotic surgery, colorectal surgery, surgical robotics platform, Howie Choset, Carnegie Mellon University, medical robotics, flexible endoscopy, ENT surgery, gynecological surgery, thoracic surgery, surgical visualization, robotic instruments, Scarfree surgery, Cardiorobotics, Samuel Straface, robotic-assisted surgery