S+N’s New Center to Push Innovation in Surgical Robotics

Smith+Nephew is waking up the surgical robotics market this week by announcing the creation of a purpose-built digital surgery and robotics innovation center. The London-based company said the center would be based in Munich, Germany and is set to open in late 2022.

S+N said the new innovation center will bring healthcare professionals from Europe, Middle East, and Africa together with its R&D and medical education teams to explore digital surgery and robotics techniques and technologies. At the heart of this will be Real Intelligence, SN's digital ecosystem, including the new robotics-assisted surgical system CORI.

S+N’s CORI was launched in July of 2020 and is a surgeon-controlled handheld robotic platform, and its modular design will enable it to be scaled across the orthopedic service line.

The center will also be home to the company’s digital surgery and robotics R+D team, enabling them to collaborate with surgeons, scientists, and engineers, driving innovation that meets unmet clinical needs. Many of this team joined S+N from Brainlab under the terms of a collaboration agreement announced in 2019.

"We are excited to be announcing this state-of-the-art facility focused on the development and delivery of digital surgery technologies and techniques,” Smith+Nephew EMEA President, Peter Coenen said in a release. “We look forward to sharing our plans as we progress our technology vision, and to welcoming customers to experience a new approach to medical education when we open next year."