iRobot invests $6M into telemedicine company | Funding Roundup

February 2, 2012 By MassDevice staff Leave a Comment

iRobot Corp. (NSDQ: IRBT), famous for their Roomba automated cleaning robots, invested $6 million and launched an extended partnership with InTouch Health, which develops telemedicine systems for providing remote health care.

The venture builds on an existing relationship that the companies announced last summer, under which the companies engaged in a development and licensing agreement.

The companies launched the partnership to explore opportunities for health care applications on iRobot platforms, which are best known for advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence in robots that clean pools, gutters and carpets. iRobot also develops military robots, like the battle-tested bomb-disarming Packbot.

InTouch develops instruments to help physicians perform real-time remote consults with patients through FDA-cleared telemedicine systems.

Under the expanded agreement, InTouch will provide iRobot with a foot in the door with hospitals, emergency care facilities, patient wards and operating and procedure rooms, according to a press release.

Here’s a roundup of other dealflow and investment news:

Athersys lands $3.6M for stem cell treatment
Athersys Inc. (NSDQ:ATHX) announced today grant funding aggregating $3.6 million to further advance its MultiStem(R) product programs and cell therapy platform. Read more

Joslin Diabetes wins $5M from Mass. Life Sciences
Joslin Diabetes Center received a $5 million grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, one of the highest amounts ever received to support diabetes research in Massachusetts. Read more

Dana-Farber touts $10M grant for cancer imaging
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute won $10 million in grant funding from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to support cancer imaging research. Read more

Mevion closes $45M round
Mevion Medical Systems closed a $45 Million investment, which will be used to accelerate the manufacturing and worldwide deployment of the MEVION S250. Read more

ProUroCare renews its Central Bank promissory note
ProUroCare Medical Inc. renewed its $100,0025 promissory note with Central Bank for an additional 1-year term. Read more

EDAP TMS swaps debt and warrants for term notes
Edap TMS SA (NSDQ:EDAP) restructured its outstanding convertible debt through a privately negotiated exchange with its existing holders of senior debentures and warrants. Read more

InterValve raises $4.7M of a $8M round
InterValve Inc. raised $4.7 million of a hoped-for $8 million equity funding round from 12 unnamed investors. Read more

Synchro lands $250K investment
Synchro Medical Innovation closed a $250,00 funding round from one unnamed investor. Read more

Checkpoint rakes in $3M in funding
Neurodevice firm Checkpoint Surgical completed a$1.7 million Series B investment round led by the NDI Healthcare Fund in December 2011, and secured non-dilutive funding of over $1.3 million, including a $1.065 million Innovation Ohio loan and a $245,000 federal grant. Read more

nContact Surgical raises $400k
nContact Surgical Inc. closed a debt funding round of more than $400,000 from t a single unnamed investor. Read more

S.E.A. Medical closes $3M Series B round
S.E.A. Medical Systems Inc. closed a $3 million Series B investment with Chicago-based venture capital firm JK&B Capital, the proceeds of which will allow S.E.A. Medical to accelerate development of its IV products and expand its technology into additional medical applications. Read more

Spectrascience lands $570k
Spectrascience Inc. raised $570,000 through subscriptions for unsecured convertible debentures. Read more

CartiHeal wins $5 million for cell-free cartilage regeneration
CartiHeal Ltd raised $5 million in venture funding from two US-Israeli venture capital firms, Accelmed and Access Medical Ventures. The financing will be used to prepare its first product launch early 2013 in Europe. Read more

Mojo Vision developing ‘smart’ contact lens
Mojo Vision is working with the FDA to develop a smart contact lens to help people with low vision. The lens overlays real-time contrast and lighting enhancements with zoom functionality and recently won FDA breakthrough device designation. “Receiving the Breakthrough Device Designation is a significant step in our research and development process. We look forward to… […]
FDA to EPA: Leave us out of your ethylene oxide rule
This article has been updated with comments from the FDA. The FDA has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to leave the FDA out of its proposal for stricter regulation of ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions, and the EPA complied. In an interagency comment on the EPA’s proposed rule governing commercial EtO users — which includes medical… […]
Clippart debuts stepper-controlled flow valve
Clippard recently launched a new stepper-controlled proportional valve for precision flow control. The Eclipse valve uses the industry’s most robust and powerful miniature linear actuator, according to Cincinnati-based Clippard. The patent-pending Eclipse is designed for liquid and gas delivery, medical, analytical and industrial automation requiring ultra-fine resolution and repeatability. The design also allows for custom… […]
Supporting regulatory affairs departments to address clinical requirements under new MDR
By Dietmar Falke and Jaap Laufer, Emergo Group The May 25, 2020 MDR deadline is approaching rapidly, and by now many medical device manufacturers are aware that the MDR requires the proactive collection of post-marketing clinical follow-up (PMCF) data. Get the full story here at the Emergo Group’s blog. The opinions expressed in this blog… […]
5 tips to raise funding for your medical device
Securing funding can be a long and tedious process, and medical device businesses must work to position themselves as especially attractive to potential investors to maximize success and accelerate the fundraising process. Jon Speer, Greenlight Guru According to Alejandro Cremades, author of The Art of Startup Fundraising, it can take from six to nine months… […]
FDA recognizes latest ISO 14971 as medical device consensus standard
By Mark Leimbeck and Stewart Eisenhart, Emergo Group The US Food and Drug Administration has granted Recognized Consensus Standard status to the third edition of the ISO 14071 risk management standard for medical devices and IVD products. Get the full story here at the Emergo Group’s blog. The opinions expressed in this blog post are… […]
Synaptive Medical updates Modus V surgical microscope
Synaptive Medical announced that its U.S. and Canadian Modus V robotic digital microscope now includes updates such as additional 3D visualization and voice-activated control. The Modus V is a robotically controlled digital microscope used as part of Synaptive’s BrightMatter surgical suite designed for less invasive, patient-specific approaches in complex cranial procedures. The Modus V provides similar… […]
New machine can preserve donor livers for 1 week
Researchers in Switzerland have built a perfusion machine that can preserve human livers for transplantation for a week or more, potentially slashing the number of donor livers that must be discarded due to time-related deterioration. Existing perfusion technology can preserve a donor liver for up to 24 hours. The team of surgeons, biologists and engineers… […]
Smiths Medical launches Portex tracheostomy tubes and kits
Smiths Medical this week launched its Portex polyvinyl chloride tracheostomy tube and kit portfolio. The new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube portfolio has options for a variety of patients, according to the company. “Our goal was to create tracheostomy tubes and kits designed to help clinicians provide the best patient care. We’re excited to offer a variety… […]
FDA clears Cleveland Clinic 3D-printed airway stents
The FDA recently cleared 3D-printed, patient-specific stents developed by a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic physician Tom Gildea developed the stents to keep open the airways of patients with serious breathing disorders caused by inflammation, trauma, tumors and other masses. Airway stents come in a limited number of sizes and shapes and are… […]
Boston Scientific shares drop on Q4 sales news
Shares in Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) dropped 8% this morning on news of disappointing fourth-quarter sales. The company’s preliminary earnings report showed sales for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2019 coming in at $2.9 billion, below the $2.91 billion that analysts were expecting. The unaudited sales figure represents organic growth of 7.3%, missing the company’s own guidance of… […]