Surgical Robotic Arm Gets OK
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Computer Motion Inc. on Monday said it won U.S. regulatory approval for a voice-activated robotic arm used in minimally invasive heart surgery, sending the company’s shares up 45%.
The robotic arm controls a specially designed tube linked to a camera that allows a surgeon to see what’s happening during a heart operation on a monitor without having to crack open the patient’s chest.
The robotic device, called the Aesop 3000, is operated by the surgeon using simple verbal commands and provides more control and stability than hand-held versions, the company said.
“For the next decade, there’s going to be a much greater use for robotic and computer equipment” in medicine, said Leonard Yaffe, an analyst at NationsBanc Montgomery Securities. “This is one of the companies that’s at the vanguard.”
The Goleta-based surgical systems company’s shares rose $3.69 to close at $11.81 in Nasdaq trading.
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