Intuitive Surgical's Latest Model has AI Potential
19 March 2024
The US FDA has given Intuitive Surgical permission to market its latest model, the da Vinci 5, the 5th-generation iteration of their famous robotic surgical platform. It is an upgrade to the Multiport Xi, which was first released in 2016. Intuitive claims there are over 150 "enhancements" to the system, with the most revolutionary being "Force Feedback," a robotic surgery 'first.'
From the Intuitive release:
"Da Vinci 5 introduces Force Feedback technology and optional instruments that enable the system to measure, and surgeons to feel, subtle forces exerted on tissue during surgery —something no other surgical technology in any modality offers. In preclinical trials with surgeons at all experience levels, Force Feedback demonstrated up to 43 percent less force exerted on tissue, which may translate to less trauma on tissue. "
The release continued, pointing out that Artificial Intelligence could be one potential future use for the da Vinci 5: "The ability to measure this force adds an important new data stream to surgical data science, which can bring future analytical insights supported through artificial intelligence."
Other selling points are: "The Da Vinci 5 has more than 10,000 times the computing power of da Vinci Xi," plus better 3D vision and a re-designed Surgeon Console, aiming for greater surgeon comfort.
Initial sales will be to their collaborative institutions in the US, to allow the manufacturer to continue to collect real-world data, followed by an expanded release to US and global institutions.
