Medtronic CEO in his own words: Hugo™ Robotics innovations and benefits

Geoff Martha, CEO of Medtronic, recently published a detailed post on social media LinkedIn about the company's AI offerings, specifically their proud Hugo™ robot. The robot is a disruptive solution designed to address cost and utilization challenges in minimally invasive surgery.The Hugo™ Robotic System blends digital surgical technology and artificial intelligence to provide surgeons with unprecedented support and assistance. 

At the J.P. Morgan Healthcare 2024 conference, Geoff Martha said, "We are leveraging modern AI technologies for clinical decision support, developing new indications, and delivering personalized treatments. I believe we are uniquely positioned to advance AI and healthcare technology." He and his team are working to achieve three major goals in healthcare: enhancing the patient experience, improving population health, and reducing healthcare costs. To achieve this mission, Medtronic is actively integrating AI technologies into its product portfolio to accommodate the wave of healthcare innovation in this digital age. 

The Hugo™ Robot, a soft tissue surgical robot from Medtronic, features a modular design consisting of an open surgical console with a 3D HD display, a four-armed cart and a system tower.Hugo has received regulatory approvals in the European Union, Canada, Australia and Japan for general surgery, urology and gynecology indications. The system also performed the first surgery in the Asia-Pacific region in Chennai, India, and in Latin America, it was used for a series of gynecologic surgeries in Panama City.In December 2022, the first U.S. patient was enrolled in a Hugo clinical trial. According to Mike Marinaro, vice president of Medtronic, the process of launching Hugo in the U.S. is now moving forward as planned.  

The Hugo robot's strengths are in the following areas: a modular and portable design that can be easily moved, shared and deployed throughout the hospital to improve equipment utilization; technology sharing that integrates advanced technologies from traditional laparoscopic surgery and open surgery, giving physicians the flexibility to choose the technology tool that is right for the particular situation; and a secure and seamless video recording option that allows physicians to review the surgical footage and analyze it to continually improve the surgical process; and selectable functionality, designed with the actual needs of the healthcare organization in mind, allowing physicians to choose the functionality that is right for their situation and reduce operating costs. 

According to Geoff Martha, the Hugo™ RAS system provides "driver-assist" functionality through the integration of digital surgery and artificial intelligence, allowing local surgeons to draw on the expertise of world-leading surgeons. This approach allows even those with little experience in a particular procedure to receive guidance and advice from leading experts, improving the quality and safety of surgery. In addition, the Hugo™ RAS system identifies and labels key anatomical structures, providing information that the user may not be able to visualize, making the surgical process more precise and controllable, reducing the potential for human error and improving the success rate of surgery. In his blog, Geoff Martha writes, "Working together, we can hopefully set insight-driven care as the new standard for delivering high-quality, personalized treatment plans that lead to better patient outcomes. World-class patient care should be the norm, not the exception. Realizing this vision will not be without challenges, but then again, the most rewarding endeavors are never easy."