Intuitive Surgical Site Visit
For our first site visit, the Berkeley BIE proteges and fellows were invited to visit the Intuitive Surgical site in Sunnyvale, California. Intuitive surgical has become the world leader in robotic assisted surgeries with their Da Vinci systems. The Da Vinci Surgical System allows surgeons to perform minimally invasive surgeries with unprecedented ease, and have become an integral part of care for laparoscopic surgeries.
The tour started with a peek into the main campus. As soon as we walked into the building we saw the table display of the evolution of the Da Vinci arms (patient side manipulators), from the earliest SRI era arm, affectionately named “Lenny” to the final production model arm of the Da Vinci Xi system. The full instruments were just behind in training suites.
The halls of the inner lobby were lined with the silver plaques of design patents. Intuitive holds hundreds of patents on all aspects of their technology, and seeing the physical manifestation of such a large IP portfolio is certainly impressive. This emphasis on IP protection has allowed Intuitive to stay so competitive in the market of robotic assisted surgery.
The patents were not the only impressive items mounted on the wall however- Intuitive is very proud of its design portfolios, and examples of its products are everywhere. The walls and tables also showcase the endowrist instruments- the surgical tools used by the Da Vinci systems. While the Da Vinci system was originally designed to assist with cardiac surgery, it is now primarily used for prostate surgery. However, the system has the tools for use in many more laparoscopic operations, and is currently used by cardiologists, urologists, gynecologists, urologists, pediatricians, and general surgeons.
The proteges then spoke with Jonathan Sorger about his work at Intuitive Surgical and the development of the company. After the talk, the proteges got a rare treat- the chance to work with the Da Vinci surgical systems. The team split into two groups, and each got the chance to work with the Da Vinci Xi system on some of the training modules that surgeons use when training with the systems. It turns out that the intuitive systems really like up to their names. Proteges and fellows took turns moving elastic rings across miniature spikes and examining the magnified viewing field.
Following the tour of the primary building, the team was escorted to the manufacturing building to see the process of putting together these complex surgical systems. Here, the proteges learned about how medical device manufacturers must keep high standards of maintenance for device production, and how much attention is put in to prevent waste of all types.
The BIE program members would like to thank the Intuitive Surgical team for being gracious hosts, and allowing us a behind the scenes peek into the world of device development
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