Touch Surgery Aide, an AI-native surgical computing platform, powers the company’s Touch Surgery ecosystem. Medtronic’s Touch Surgery ecosystem powers the company’s robotic surgery platforms, which include the recently FDA-cleared Hugo robot. The platform enables real-time AI use during procedures.
Medtronic is unveiling Touch Surgery Aide this week at the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) 2026 Annual Meeting in Florida.
Touch Surgery aims to connect the entire surgical journey. It bridges pre-operative planning and training, intra-operative telemonitoring and teleproctoring and AI-powered post-operative insight. Medtronic says it simplifies workflows and extends access beyond the individual operating room.
According to a news release, the medtech giant’s new Touch Surgery Aide expands the ecosystem with next-generation computing capabilities. It enables multimodal AI-driven support during surgery to deliver actionable insights during procedures. The solution also supports case review and helps inform continuous improvement in clinical decision-making.
Touch Surgery Aide also incorporates Nvidia’s accelerated computing infrastructure. It leverages Nvidia’s Holoscan, CUDA and TensorRT to deliver AI-powered insights in the moment. Medtronic is one of many companies working with computing giant Nvidia on surgical robotics.
More about Touch Surgery Aide
The company said its new offering brings intelligent, increasingly automated support in the operating room. It also designed the solution to continuously learn and evolve.
According to Medtronic, the Instrument Exit Point (IEP) application on Touch Surgery Aide marks its first real-time AI application for robotic surgery. It works with the Hugo system, currently available in urologic indications, and holds FDA clearance.
Using computer vision, IEP provides visual notification when select instruments move beyond the visible field of view during a robotic procedure. Medtronic plans to use the platform to support expansion into laparoscopic surgery over time. The company said last month that it submitted Hugo to the FDA to bring it into general and gynecologic procedures.
Commentary from Medtronic officials
Jim Peichel, chief technology officer at Medtronic, said:
“Real-time AI marks a new frontier for healthcare — it is a fundamental evolution in how surgery is supported, moving from technology that assists the surgeon’s hand to technology that helps teams work smarter, move faster, and deliver greater impact in the moment.”
George Murgatroyd, GM & VP, Digital Technologies at Medtronic, said:
“Surgery is on the cusp of a generational shift, powered by AI and advanced compute. The Touch Surgery ecosystem, powered by Touch Surgery Aide, establishes a platform for a new generation of embedded connectivity, seamlessly integrating advanced capabilities into surgical workflows and reinforcing Medtronic’s commitment to delivering the best possible care, for every patient, anywhere.”
