Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) is the most likely rival to Intuitive Surgical‘s (NSDQ:ISRG) dominance in the robot-assisted surgery space, but is still at least a year away from putting a competing device on the market, according to 1 analyst covering the medical device industry. Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Intuitive has a long lead, having had its flagship da Vinci system since 2000 and is […]
Verily
Google’s Verily developing med data connectivity hub
Google‘s (NSDQ:GOOG) Verily, formerly the company’s Life Sciences division, is developing a device which looks to collect and sync medical information dubbed the “Connectivity Bridge.” Photos of the device have been unveiled by Business Insider, which the paper says was approved last year by the FCC. The device is equipped with sensors designed to collect patient […]
NIH Taps Google’s Verily for Vandy precision health project
The National Institute of Health today said Google‘s (NSDQ:GOOG) Verily, formerly the company’s Life Sciences division, will advise Nashville, Tenn.’s Vanderbilt University to launch the 1st phase of the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort, which was outlined by President Barack Obama last year. The university is slated to test methods for engaging and enrolling volunteers through […]
TransEnterix surges on takeover speculation
TransEnterix (NYSE:TRXC) shares surged today on speculation that the robot-assisted surgery company could be acquired by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ). Johnson & Johnson chairman & CEO Alex Gorsky said this week that the healthcare conglomerate stayed off the mergers & acquisitions trail last year because valuations were too high. That’s not the case this year, Gorsky […]
Medtronic CEO Ishrak unfazed by Google’s medtech endeavors
With more large consumer tech firms like Apple (NSDQ:AAPL) dabbling in medtech and Google (NSDQ:GOOG) fully entering into the medical device arena, the field is getting more competitive – but Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak isn’t intimidated. What Medtronic’s CEO sees in Google is less an opportunity for a new competitor, and more a chance for future […]
Autonomous robotic surgery on the horizon, says Ex-Google’s Parviz
Babak Parviz says he sold Google (NSDQ:GOOG) a vision of an autonomous surgical robot in 2010. His vision put the patient under the knife of a completely autonomous surgeon which would bring with it lightning-fast reaction times and super-human dexterity, along with the ability to be mass produced. That vision, Parviz says, could be on […]
J&J, Google’s Verily partner to form robotic-platform developer Verb Surgical
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) said today it is partnering with newly-titled Verily Life Sciences, formerly Google Life Sciences, to form Verb Surgical, which aims to develop a robotic surgical platform. Verb Surgical aims to develop a comprehensive surgical platform that incorporates “leading edge” robotic capabilities and medical technology for use in the operating room, according […]
Google renames life sciences biz to ‘Verily’
Google (NSDQ:GOOG) parent company Alphabet said yesterday that it renamed its life sciences division to ‘Verily’, presenting a mission of ‘understanding disease on an individual level’ with a focus on prevention and proactive solutions. The name change comes as the company seeks more visibility in the med-tech world. “Our mission is to bring together technology […]
Google restructuring puts Life Sciences & Calico group under new umbrella
Google (NSDQ:GOOG) announced today a corporate restructuring that places it under the new parent company Alphabet. The company highlighted the separation of its med-device developer Life Sciences business and human-longevity focused Calico division. The new Google will be slimmed down, former Google CEO and now-Alphabet CEO Larry Page said, and separated from companies that run […]