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Universalizing and democratizing precision surgery is the goal set by Rob Surgical, the company that has developed the Bitrack surgical robot, the Catalan Da Vinci which is now ready to enter the operating rooms. And to achieve this, one of the marketing options includes the possibility of payment per use, a model that has until now been unusual in the sector.
“When it is necessary to perform precision surgery, medium and small hospitals, both public and private, refer their patients to large health centers. It is practically impossible for them to acquire a robotic unit for this type of intervention, due to the cost it represents. but also because their use is not daily, not to mention the space they occupy”, explains Alicia Casals, co-founder of Rob Surgical.
The company, which participated in one of the round tables of the tenth edition of La Nit de la Robotica, organized at the end of October by the College of Industrial Engineers of Catalonia, was born as spinoff from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC) in 2012, led by professors Josep Amat, Manel Frigola and Alícia Casals, and the entrepreneur Jaume Amat. Now it is just waiting to obtain the necessary European health certifications to start marketing it.
At the starting line
“We hope to have a positive response from Europe at most in June next year to begin manufacturing and selling the first units, and launch Bitrack’s pay-per-use model,” says Jaume Amat, general director of the company.
Rob Surgical, one of the most prominent members of Catalonia.Health, entity that represents companies in the biomedicine and health sector in Cataloniaalso has a production plant, located in El Prat de Llobregat, a town in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, where it will develop the Bitrack units. “We are prepared and we are just waiting for the certifications to start manufacturing.”
Alicia Casals and Jaume Amat, co-founders.
When it was twelve years of development and more than 20 million euros of investmentbut Britrack is already ready. It began the first surgical tests using animal and cadaver models until successfully participating in radical nephrectomies (kidney removal), which validated the safety and effectiveness of the robot.
During the preclinical phase, surgeons from the United States Major Clinic and the Clínic, Vall d’Hebron and Germans Trias i Pujol university hospitals, and there was also the collaboration of the research centers Specipig and IGTP (Germans Trias i Pujol Institute).
Hybrid surgery
“Our value proposition is based on three pillars: high precision and safety, which benefit the patient; superior usability for the surgeon; and a significant reduction in the total cost per surgery, which benefits all private hospitals and the public health system“Amat concretely
Unlike the Da Vinci surgical robot, Bitrack does not need a dedicated operating roomrequires less staff, intensive training is not necessary for its usability, uses the medical instruments that the hospital has and its computer system “because we use an open platform”, and allows hybrid interventions.
Image of other interventions in the preclinical phase of the robot.
Bitrack offers the surgeon the possibility of combine manual maneuvers and robotic methods in the same procedure, taking advantage of the advantages of laparoscopic surgery and robotics. “In this way, the robot intervenes only in the most delicate parts of the operation,” explains Casals. In addition, the robot offers the possibility of automatically guiding the camera even when working with manual instruments.
“This hybrid system allows the precision and safety of the robot to be combined with the experience of the medical team, a fact that reduces intervention times and favors the rotation of the operating room,” comments Amat, who insists on the need to universalize precision surgery: “Hospitals can concentrate this type of interventions on a few specific days and we will transfer Bitrack where they need it, and the hospital will pay for its use, without having to purchase the robot.”
The interventions carried out by the surgical robot have focused on the field of urology But, its creators assure, “it is also appropriate for general, gynecology and gastrointestinal surgery.” Bitrack’s next step, its creators announce, will be to enter digital surgery, with the incorporation of artificial intelligence to its platform.
**How does the “pay-per-use” model of Bitrack potentially address the issue of cost barriers that often prevent smaller hospitals from adopting robotic surgery?**
## Interview: Bringing Precision Surgery To All Hospitals
Welcome to World Today News. Today we have two special guests, Alicia Casals and Jaume Amat, co-founders of Rob Surgical, the company revolutionizing precision surgery with their innovative surgical robot, Bitrack.
**Introduction (5 mins)**
* **Host:** Welcome, Alicia and Jaume. Thank you for joining us today. We’re incredibly excited to discuss Bitrack and its potential to transform healthcare. Could you give us a brief overview of what Rob Surgical is all about?
* **Host:** What inspired you to embark on this ambitious journey of creating a more accessible surgical robot?
**Bitrack: A Game Changer (10 mins)**
* **Host:** What differentiates Bitrack from existing surgical robots like the Da Vinci? What are its unique advantages for both surgeons and patients?
* **Host:** One of the most intriguing aspects of Bitrack is its “pay-per-use” model. How do you see this model impacting hospitals and ultimately, the cost of precision surgery for patients?
* **Host:** Bitrack is designed for hybrid surgery—a combination of manual and robotic techniques. Could Alice explain more about the benefits of this approach?
**The Future of Surgery (10 mins)**
* **Host:** You mentioned Bitrack’s use in urology. What other surgical fields do you see this robot being applied in? What are the next steps for Bitrack’s development?
* **Host:** You’re planning to integrate artificial intelligence into Bitrack. How do you envision AI enhancing the precision and safety of surgical procedures?
* **Host:** Looking ahead, what is your vision for the future of surgery? What impact do you hope Rob Surgical will have on the global healthcare landscape?
**Closing (5 mins)**
* **Host:** What are the biggest challenges Rob Surgical faces in making Bitrack accessible to hospitals worldwide? What message do you want to leave with viewers who are interested in learning more about Bitrack and its potential?
**Thank you to Alicia Casals and Jaume Amat for sharing their expertise and vision.**
