The SMARTsurg team completed the Market analysis and Exploitation in a very dynamic market environment.
Early 2018 Intuitive Surgical announced that its installed base of da Vinci systems in clinical use are now exceeding 4, 400 units (yearly double digit growth):
- Over 75+% of the US$ 3.1 Billion business is invoiced in the US with close to US$ 1 Billion revenue in system sales worldwide (2017)
- Intuitive Surgical is increasing its investment to grow in Europe and in Asia. In 2017 Intuitive Surgical and Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical formed a J/V
- The growth in da Vinci rental systems is also interesting to note (more than 100 units rented currently)
- Close to 900, 000 surgical procedures were performed with the da Vinci Surgical Systems in 2017 (yearly double digit growth)
In May 2017, Intuitive Surgical launched a new da Vinci model, the da Vinci X, in the U.S. The lower cost da Vinci X uses the same vision cart and surgeon console that are found on the flagship product, the da Vinci Xi system, giving the customers the option of adding advanced capabilities, and providing a pathway for upgrading should they choose to do so as their practices and needs grow.
The SMARTsurg project is making its way in an eco-system where, on top of Intuitive Surgical, the following companies are making explicit efforts to enter the field: Auris Surgical Robotics Inc.; Avatera Medical GmbH; Cambridge Medical Robotics Ltd; Johnson & Johnson and Google Inc. and their joint venture, Verb Surgical Inc.; Medicaroid Inc.; MedRobotics Corp.; meerecompany Inc.; Medtronic PLC; Olympus Corp.; Samsung Corporation; Smart Robot Technology Group Co. Ltd.; TransEnterix Inc.; and Titan Medical Inc.
