Shoham: It is unique in the sense that it can direct a flexible needle to a precise location inside the body for biopsies and drug delivery. The robot manipulates the needle as it is going inside the body and the tip of the needle is not going along a straight line, but rather into a curved line. You can correct the trajectory and get to the right location. Again, this technology is not used by any other company to the best of my knowledge.

You know the company Intuitive Surgical? What we developed here [at XACT] is “non-intuitive” robotics, because the motions that the robot is doing are totally non-intuitive for the surgeon. For example, if the hand that holds the needle is moving right, the tip may go right, or it may go left. It depends on how deep it is inside the body, the tissue, and the factors of the tissue themselves. The robot can do that, but I believe it would be very difficult for a surgeon to do that. The ACE robotic system is one of a very few autonomous medical robots systems, because the robot is doing the needle insertion and the surgeon doesn’t touch the needle while it’s inserted.

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