Smith & Nephew Acquiring Optical Tracking Technology for CAS

Smith & Nephew (SNN) agreed to acquire Atracsys, a Switzerland-based provider of optical tracking technology that is used in computer-assisted surgery. The transaction is slated to complete in 3Q19. (Update: This transaction closed on July 1, 2019.)

Atracsys’ fusionTrack 500 optical tracking camera will be a core enabling technology within SNN’s interconnected system of digital surgery and robotic assets, with its first use in the next-generation robotics platform (based on Brainlab’s Cirq) due for commercial release in 2020.

This next-gen system is expected to be faster and smaller than the present version of NAVIO, and future options could expand to incorporate augmented reality, standalone robotic arms and machine learning technologies.

fusionTrack’s measurement speed and latency performance can support reduced procedure times and levels of accuracy that result in fine-precision in surgical tasks, such as bone cuts. Atracsys’ portfolio includes open platform optical navigation and robotic tracking components with applications in orthopedics, neurosurgery, spine and dental; SNN plans for the business to continue serving these markets.

“The promise of computer assisted surgery with robotics is to provide faster, more accurate, reproducible results that enable surgeons to restore quality of life to more patients,” said Skip Kiil, Global President of Orthopaedics at Smith & Nephew. “With the acquisition of Atracsys, we are securing what we believe to be the best-in-class position tracking technology for our next-generation robotic-assisted surgical system.”

JAV

Julie A. Vetalice is ORTHOWORLD's Editorial Assistant. She has covered the orthopedic industry for over 20 years, having joined the company in 1999.

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