Even though many doctors see need for improvement, surgical robots are poised for big gains in operating rooms around the world.
Within 5 years, 1 in 3 U.S. surgeries – more than double current levels – is expected to be performed with robotic systems, with surgeons sitting at computer consoles guiding mechanical arms. Companies developing new robots also plan to expand their use in India, China and other emerging markets.
Robotic surgery has been long dominated by pioneer Intuitive Surgical (NSDQ:ISRG), which has more than 3,600 of its da Vinci machines in hospitals worldwide and said last week the number of procedures that used them jumped by 16% in the 2nd quarter compared to a year earlier.
