In this episode I talk with Christoff Heunis, the co-founder and CEO of Flux Robotics, a medtech startup that develops the Flux One robot for endovascular procedures.

We talk about:

- Chirstoff's background & experience in both research & industry

- Conventional endovascular surgery and its challenge

- The Flux One robot: what it is, how it works, early results

- The company's story, funding journey and next steps

- The first-time entrepreneur & CEO role and the South African culture

RESOURCES

Christoff Heunis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoff-heunis/

Flux Robotics: https://www.fluxrobotics.nl/

Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on orthopedics, endoscopy and laparoscopy.

1. THINK Surgical received FDA clearance for the TMINI Miniature Robotic System

2. Virtuoso Surgical unveiled its robotic system for endoscopy

3. Titan Medical signed licence agreements with Medtronic and Intuitive

Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

Surgical Robotics Technology launched in May the first edition of the Surgical Robotics Industry Award in 4 categories: Industry Leadership, Innovative Start-Up, Outstanding Company, Ground-Breaking Technology.

A great initiative to gather the community to celebrate outstanding contribution from individuals and companies in the industry!

Anyone with an interest in surgical robotics can vote online:

https://www.surgicalroboticstechnology.com/surgical-robotics-industry-awards/

In this episode I talk with Dr. Atul Gupta, interventional radiologist practicing in the Philadelphia area and Chief Medical Officer at Philips for their Image-Guided Therapy business. Dr. Gupta is responsible for the clinical strategy and vision for the interventional imaging systems, software, and endovascular devices.

We talk about: - his background and journey into IR and into the industry - how he is driving innovation as CMO at Philips - how Augmented Reality is being implemented and will impact the work of an interventionalist - what will likely be the role of Artificial Intelligence in Image-Guided Therapy - how Robotics could augment physicians and other benefits it’s expected to provide - the therapy devices business and critical integration with the angiography equipment

RESOURCES

Dr. Atul Gupta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atulguptamd Philips Image-Guided Therapy: https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/solutions/image-guided-therapy/all-products

Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Robert Masson, sports spine microneurosurgeon practicing minimally invasive spine surgery at The Masson Spine Institute in Orlando, FL and Park City, UT. Lifelong athlete in a relentless quest for performance, Dr. Masson is the founder and CEO of eXpanded eXistence, a mixed reality tech company building the Surgical Metaverse with a vision to improve the set up and workflow of the surgical sapce.

We talk about:
- how and when eXpanded eXistence started and where the name comes from
- being both surgeon and CEO of a tech company
- the market access strategy for the HoloOPS product
- the iMAS 360 lumbar reconstruction platform
- what Dr. Masson would do if not a surgeon and tech company CEO

RESOURCES

Dr. Robert Masson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robert-masson-md-62019a74
The Masson Spine Institute: www.massonsi.com
eXpanded eXistence: www.expandedexistence.com

Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Robert Masson, sports spine microneurosurgeon practicing minimally invasive surgery at The Masson Spine Institute in Orlando, FL and Park City, UT. Lifelong athlete in a relentless quest for performance, Dr. Masson is the founder and CEO of eXpanded eXistence, a mixed reality tech company building the Surgical Metaverse with a vision to improve the set up and workflow of the surgical space.

We talk about:

- his background, experience and practice in spine surgery
- the challenges of organizing an OR and the sterile field
- the HoloOPS platform that goes beyond digitizing the pref cards
- the early feedbacks from clinical use
- the impact of tech layoffs on AR-based products

RESOURCES

Dr. Robert Masson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robert-masson-md-62019a74
The Masson Spine Institute: www.massonsi.com
eXpanded eXistence: www.expandedexistence.com

Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about minimally invasive surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on robotics and exoskeletons.

1. Ethicon announced the 1st kidney stones removal procedure with the MONARCH robot
2. Wandercraft obtained FDA clearance for its ATALANTE exoskeleton
3. Nanoflex Robotics raised $12 million to bring its robot to the market

Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Vanash Patel, colorectal surgeon practicing in London and Hertfordshire, UK, and user of the Versius robot from CMR Surgical. 

We talk about:
- the business case and what a surgical robot can bring to the hospital
- the choice of a robot model when flexibility is a constraint
- the use of telepresence for mentoring
- Virtual Reality, App for surgical data & analytics
- whether remote surgery is applicable to the UK

RESOURCES

Dr. Patel on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanash-patel-00986278
West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/
CMR Versius robot: https://cmrsurgical.com/

Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.