Adept, Prosurgics to Collaborate

Robotics companies Adept Technology Inc. of Livermore, Calif., and UK-based Prosurgics announced they will collaborate on developing systems for image-guided and navigated neurological and soft-tissue surgery. The companies cited a BCC Research projected 43-percent growth rate in the surgical robotics market between 2006-2011, particularly for procedures involving cardiac and prostate treatments. Surgical robots are now performing more than 50 percent of prostatectomies in the US, they said in a statement. Rob Bucher, Adept's CEO, said, "The surgical robotics market requires very high precision products with no room for error. Our goal in working with Prosurgics is to create technology platforms that can be used in a range of surgical systems, thereby lowering these systems' total cost of ownership and expanding the reach of our technology throughout the surgical market." Adept provides robotics systems to the packaging, life sciences, electronics, semiconductor and solar markets, and for industrial applications such as machine tool automation and automotive component manufacturing. Prosurgics, based in High Wycombe, England, has offices in Acton, Mass., and in Berlin; its products include image-guided and telemanipulator surgery systems.