Johnson & Johnson MedTech has secured an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA for its Ottava surgical robot, enabling the company to initiate clinical trials at sites across the United States. This regulatory milestone marks a significant step forward for the robotic platform, which aims to transform the surgical experience through its innovative design and integrated digital ecosystem.
Ottava's Design and Features
First unveiled four years ago, the Ottava system incorporates four robotic arms into a standard-size surgical table. This unified architecture allows the robotic arms to be readily available when needed and stowed beneath the table when not in use. Johnson & Johnson MedTech emphasizes that this design removes barriers to movement and collaboration in robotic operating rooms, providing surgical teams with the freedom and flexibility to adapt to clinical workflows and individualize patient care.
Hani Abouhalka, Group Chair, Surgery, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, stated, "We are bringing the best of J&J MedTech’s surgery expertise to the Ottava system and taking a holistic view of the science of surgery to enable new experiences across all surgical modalities in service of patients around the world."
Enhancing Surgical Precision and Versatility
The Ottava system is designed to support robotic, laparoscopic, hybrid, and open surgery, offering increased working space for clinical teams. A key feature is the "twin motion" capability, where the table and robotic arms move in coordination. This facilitates intraoperative repositioning and multi-quadrant access without the need for re-docking.
Furthermore, Ottava exclusively features Ethicon instrumentation, engineered for performance and precision. Johnson & Johnson highlights that this supports a more consistent experience between traditional laparoscopic and robotic procedures.
Integrating the Polyphonic Digital Ecosystem
The Polyphonic digital ecosystem is designed to connect surgical technologies, robotics, and software within Johnson & Johnson. The company anticipates that Polyphonic will empower Ottava with data and advanced insights in the future, supporting clinical decision-making, learning, and collaboration.
"We are excited about reaching this important milestone and progressing our differentiated general surgery robotic platform for the benefit of patients and surgeons," said Rocco De Bernardis, President, Ottava, Johnson & Johnson MedTech. "With approval to move to clinical investigation, our teams are focused on training clinical trial investigators and teams as they enroll patients and prepare for cases."
