In this episode I talk with Christoff Heunis, the co-founder and CEO of Flux Robotics, a medtech startup that develops the Flux One robot for endovascular procedures. We talk about: - Chirstoff's background & experience in both research & industry - Conventional endovascular surgery and its challenge - The Flux One robot: what it is, how it works, early results - The company's story, funding journey and next steps - The first-time entrepreneur & CEO role and the South African culture RESOURCES Christoff Heunis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christoff-heunis/ Flux Robotics: https://www.fluxrobotics.nl/ Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on orthopedics, endoscopy and laparoscopy. 1. THINK Surgical received FDA clearance for the TMINI Miniature Robotic System 2. Virtuoso Surgical unveiled its robotic system for endoscopy 3. Titan Medical signed licence agreements with Medtronic and Intuitive Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

Surgical Robotics Technology launched in May the first edition of the Surgical Robotics Industry Award in 4 categories: Industry Leadership, Innovative Start-Up, Outstanding Company, Ground-Breaking Technology. A great initiative to gather the community to celebrate outstanding contribution from individuals and companies in the industry! Anyone with an interest in surgical robotics can vote online: https://www.surgicalroboticstechnology.com/surgical-robotics-industry-awards/

In this episode I talk with Dr. Atul Gupta, interventional radiologist practicing in the Philadelphia area and Chief Medical Officer at Philips for their Image-Guided Therapy business. Dr. Gupta is responsible for the clinical strategy and vision for the interventional imaging systems, software, and endovascular devices. We talk about: - his background and journey into IR and into the industry - how he is driving innovation as CMO at Philips - how Augmented Reality is being implemented and will impact the work of an interventionalist - what will likely be the role of Artificial Intelligence in Image-Guided Therapy - how Robotics could augment physicians and other benefits it’s expected to provide - the therapy devices business and critical integration with the angiography equipment RESOURCES Dr. Atul Gupta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atulguptamd Philips Image-Guided Therapy: https://www.usa.philips.com/healthcare/solutions/image-guided-therapy/all-products Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Robert Masson, sports spine microneurosurgeon practicing minimally invasive spine surgery at The Masson Spine Institute in Orlando, FL and Park City, UT. Lifelong athlete in a relentless quest for performance, Dr. Masson is the founder and CEO of eXpanded eXistence, a mixed reality tech company building the Surgical Metaverse with a vision to improve the set up and workflow of the surgical sapce. We talk about: - how and when eXpanded eXistence started and where the name comes from - being both surgeon and CEO of a tech company - the market access strategy for the HoloOPS product - the iMAS 360 lumbar reconstruction platform - what Dr. Masson would do if not a surgeon and tech company CEO RESOURCES Dr. Robert Masson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robert-masson-md-62019a74 The Masson Spine Institute: www.massonsi.com eXpanded eXistence: www.expandedexistence.com Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Robert Masson, sports spine microneurosurgeon practicing minimally invasive surgery at The Masson Spine Institute in Orlando, FL and Park City, UT. Lifelong athlete in a relentless quest for performance, Dr. Masson is the founder and CEO of eXpanded eXistence, a mixed reality tech company building the Surgical Metaverse with a vision to improve the set up and workflow of the surgical space. We talk about: - his background, experience and practice in spine surgery - the challenges of organizing an OR and the sterile field - the HoloOPS platform that goes beyond digitizing the pref cards - the early feedbacks from clinical use - the impact of tech layoffs on AR-based products RESOURCES Dr. Robert Masson on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/robert-masson-md-62019a74 The Masson Spine Institute: www.massonsi.com eXpanded eXistence: www.expandedexistence.com Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about minimally invasive surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on robotics and exoskeletons. 1. Ethicon announced the 1st kidney stones removal procedure with the MONARCH robot 2. Wandercraft obtained FDA clearance for its ATALANTE exoskeleton 3. Nanoflex Robotics raised $12 million to bring its robot to the market Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Vanash Patel, colorectal surgeon practicing in London and Hertfordshire, UK, and user of the Versius robot from CMR Surgical.  We talk about: - the business case and what a surgical robot can bring to the hospital - the choice of a robot model when flexibility is a constraint - the use of telepresence for mentoring - Virtual Reality, App for surgical data & analytics - whether remote surgery is applicable to the UK RESOURCES Dr. Patel on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanash-patel-00986278 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/ CMR Versius robot: https://cmrsurgical.com/ Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Vanash Patel, colorectal surgeon practicing in London and Hertfordshire, UK. We talk about robotic surgery with the Versius robot from CMR Surgical: - the open console: ergonomics, 3D glasses, joysticks, etc. - the setup and port placement with the robot - the training process, learning curve and early results with robotics RESOURCES Dr. Patel on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanash-patel-00986278 West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust: https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/ CMR Versius robot: https://cmrsurgical.com/ Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on soft tissue robotics, endoscopy and artificial intelligence. 1- Ronovo Surgical emerges from stealth mode with the Carina robot for laparoscopic surgery 2- Olympus to acquire pioneering cloud-AI endoscopy startup Odin Vision 3- Theraclion announces results of first US trial for varicose vein treatment Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

In this episode I talk with Anne Osdoit, the energetic & optimistic CEO of Moon Surgical, a medtech startup that develops the Maestro robot for laparoscopic surgery. Anne is also VC partner at Sofinnova. We talk about: What data streams Maestro has been recording during surgeryHow Moon Surgical will leverage data & AI for actionable featuresHow the Moon Surgical story started in a labChallenges a CEO has to face in an early-stage medtech startupWorking with a French-American teamWhat she would dream to do if not a CEO or VC RESOURCES Anne Osdoit on LinkedIn:  https://fr.linkedin.com/in/anne-osdoit-5812807 Moon Surgical on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moonsurgical/ Moon Surgical website: www.moosurgical.com Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Anne Osdoit, the energetic & optimistic CEO of Moon Surgical, a medtech startup that develops the Maestro robot for laparoscopic surgery. Anne is also VC partner at Sofinnova. We talk about: - Anne’s background & experience in the medtech space - Conventional laparoscopic surgery and its challenges - The Maestro robot: what it is, how it works, and its indications - Feedbacks from the early clinical experience with the robot - How Maestro compares to the other robotic systems RESOURCES * Anne Osdoit on LinkedIn: https://fr.linkedin.com/in/anne-osdoit-5812807 * Moon Surgical on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/moonsurgical/ * Moon Surgical website: www.moosurgical.com Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Alok Sharan, orthopedic spine surgeon practicing in New Jersey. Dr. Alok Sharan is a pioneer of the awake spinal fusion technique, president of the Spine and Performance Institute and co-founder of DocSocial, a social media for healthcare professionals. We talk about: back pain and minimally invasive spine surgerythe impact of general anesthesiaawake surgery: which patients and which procedures?how patients & surgeons respond to this techniqueVR for digital sedation or hypnosisVR for surgical training RESOURCES Dr. Alok Sharan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-sharan-6a612610/Awake Spine Surgery: https://awakespinalfusion.com/DocSocial: https://doc.social/ Listen to the Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and assistive technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Prof. Yann Nguyen, ENT surgeon and co-director of a research team at the Hearing Institute in Paris, France. We talk about: the ear anatomy and physiologythe challenges of middle ear surgery and cochlear implantationhow the RobOtol system workswhat's the future of robotics in ear surgery RESOURCES Prof. Nguyen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannnguyen/ Collin Robotol robot: https://www.collinmedical.fr/en/robotol/4207-systeme-robotol-avec-accessoires.html ISIR Robotics Research Lab: https://www.isir.upmc.fr/?lang=en Listen to Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and enabling technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that caught my attention with a focus today on soft tissue robotics and interventional oncology. 1- Moon Surgical received FDA Clearance and completed its first-in-human clinical study 2- CMR Surgical partners with J&J Ethicon to sell the Versius robot in select markets 3- HistoSonics raised $100m in a new financing led by J&J Innovation Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Jawad Ali, board-certified general surgeon practicing in Austin, TX and founder of Vality Partners and Austin Medtech Connect. We talk about: Vality Partners, a group of consulting surgeons for early-stage medtech startupsAustin Medtech Connect, a non-profit breaking silos for the local medtech community in Central Texas Dr. Jawad Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jawad-ali-md-11152662 Vality Partners: https://www.valitypartners.com/ Austin Medtech Connect: https://www.austinmedtech.org/ Listen to Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and enabling technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode I talk with Dr. Jawad Ali, board-certified general surgeon practicing in Austin, TX and founder of Vality Partners and Austin Medtech Connect. We talk about: His practice in minimally-invasive surgery, acute care & trauma, endoscopySurgical robotics and perspectives from leveraging pre-, intra- and postoperative dataDigital surgery technologies, including telesurgery, telepresence, virtual reality, and AI Dr. Jawad Ali on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jawad-ali-md-11152662 Listen to Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and enabling technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this episode, I speak with Todd Usen, a seasoned medtech executive and CEO of a medtech startup called Activ Surgical that completed the world’s first autonomous robotic surgery of soft tissue in 2018 and commericalizes a digital platform that brings intelligent information to imaging systems during minimally invasive surgery. We talk about: Todd's story into medtechThe mission & vision of Activ SurgicalHow the ActivSight imaging module worksWhat's the role of AI and Machine LearningWhat is the commercialization stage and the next steps Website: https://www.activsurgical.com/ Listen to Less Invasive Podcast, a podcast about Minimally Invasive Surgery and enabling technologies for the operating room and radiology environments - robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, data analytics, telemedicine, and more.

In this audio capsule, I briefly outline 3 pieces of news that recently caught my attention in the biotech AI and robotics space. Biotech & Medical AI startup company Surge raised a $2.6m roundMedicaroid obtained new clearances for its hinotori robotAccelus extends the usage of its REMI spine robot to all major 3D imaging systems Subscribe to the Less Invasive podcast to get future episodes on minimally-invasive surgery, robotics, medical imaging and AI sent directly to you.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Paula Doyle, board-certified surgeon in obstetrics and gynecology specialized in reconstructive pelvic surgery at the University of Rochester. Dr Doyle is the founder and CEO of a medtech startup called EndoGlow that manufactures a fluorescent medical device intended for minimally invasive surgery. We talk about: How the EndoGlow story started and why she decided to create a companyThe main challenges she and her team faced during the pre-market phaseHow to keep a balance mind when being both a surgeon and CEODoes Quantum Surgical uses Near-Infrared Imaging (NIR) and whyWhy did I chose to start a podcast Website: https://www.endoglow.com/