SoftBank and Tencent have contributed to a US$165 million (£133 million) funding round for UK robotics company CMR Surgical as it announced a new milestone in the number of surgeries carried out by its newest model of robotic arm.
Japanese investment colossus SoftBank, the backer of Arm Holdings, WeWork and ByteDance, joined other existing investors as the Cambridge-based company said it increased the size of the investment round due to “strong internal demand”.
Other ongoing supporters which invested included Cambridge Innovation Capital, Escala Capital, LGT, Lightrock, Railpen, Watrium and Ally Bridge Group.
CMR also revealed that the newest model of its Versius surgical robotic system has been used to perform more than 15,000 minimal access surgery (MAS) procedures across seven locations around the world, including both benign and complex procedures such as colectomies, hernia repairs, hysterectomies, sacrocolpopexies and lobectomies.
Versius is designed to be small enough to fit into any operating theatre and as it ‘biomimics’ the human arm the company said this gives surgeons “the choice of optimised port placement alongside the dexterity and accuracy of small fully-wristed instruments”, along with 3D vision and “a choice of ergonomic working positions”.
It said it plans to use the new cash to continue product innovation, develop new technology and support further commercialisation in existing and new geographies.
CMR’s vision is to make MAS “universally accessible”, with the market for soft-tissue robotic-assisted MAS estimated to be worth over US$7 billion per year and growing at over 15% per annum.
The new Versius robotic tool is being used at the Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Cambridgeshire, UK; Institute Curie in Paris; Policlinico di Milano in Italy; Max Super Specialty Hospital in Saket, India; the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation in Pakistan; Hospital Moinhos de Vento in Porto Alegre, Brazil; Gleneagles Hospital in Hong Kong and Klinikum Chemnitz in Germany.
From： Provocative News
软银和腾讯为英国机器人公司 CMR Surgical 提供了 1.65 亿美元（1.33 亿英镑）的融资，该公司宣布其最新型号的机械臂进行的手术数量达到了新的里程碑。
Arm Holdings、WeWork 和 ByteDance 的支持者、日本投资巨头软银也加入了其他现有投资者的行列，这家总部位于剑桥的公司表示，由于“强劲的内部需求”，其扩大了本轮投资规模。
其他持续投资的支持者包括 Cambridge Innovation Capital、Escala Capital、LGT、Lightrock、Railpen、Watrium 和 Ally Bridge Group。
CMR 还透露，其最新型号的 Versius 手术机器人系统已在全球七个地点执行了超过 15,000 例微创手术 (MAS) 手术，包括良性和复杂手术，如结肠切除术、疝气修复、子宫切除术、骶骨阴道固定术和肺叶切除术。
Versius 的设计足够小，适合任何手术室，并且由于它“仿生”人臂，该公司表示，这为外科医生提供了“优化端口放置的选择以及小型全腕器械的灵巧性和准确性”，以及3D 视觉和“符合人体工程学的工作位置选择”。
该公司表示，计划利用新资金继续产品创新、开发新技术并支持现有和新地区的进一步商业化。
CMR 的愿景是让 MAS“普及”，软组织机器人辅助 MAS 市场估计每年价值超过 70 亿美元，并且每年增长超过 15%。
新的 Versius 机器人工具正在英国剑桥郡的皇家帕普沃斯医院 NHS 基金会信托基金中使用；巴黎居里研究所；意大利米兰警察诊所；印度 Saket 的 Max Super 专科医院；巴基斯坦信德泌尿外科和移植研究所；巴西阿雷格里港 Moinhos de Vento 医院；香港鹰阁医院和德国开姆尼茨医院。
来源：Proactive News
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