FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leslie Remley
Computer Motion, Inc.
(805) 968-9600, ext. 125
Contact: Michael Chan
(805) 968-9600, ext. 103
COMPUTER MOTION LAUNCHES AESOP 2000
WORLD’S FIRST FDA CLEARED SURGICAL ROBOT CAPABLE
OF UNDERSTANDING VOICE COMMANDS IS NOW AVAILABLE
San Francisco, CA, October 7, 1996 -- At the American College of Surgeons 82nd
Clinical Congress, Computer Motion, the world’s leading supplier of medical robots,
announced the release of its next generation surgical robot -- AESOP 2000 with Voice Control.
AESOP 2000 features the most intuitive interface available, the ability to understand a
surgeon’s voice commands. This allows the surgeon to use spoken English to precisely maneuver
and position a laparoscope (a specially designed optical tube which, when connected to a
medical video camera and light source, is passed into the body to allow the surgeon to view
the operation on a video monitor).
AESOP 2000 (pronounced "eesop") is the second generation of the company’s flagship
product, and was cleared by the FDA in May 1996. A clinical advisory team comprised
of leading endoscopic surgeons has worked closely with the company throughout the
development of the surgical robot’s voice control interface. Clinical validations have
been successfully completed at over 15 institutions across the nation.
"Surgeons have been asking for an easy way to control their field of vision
during surgery. Our research has confirmed that voice control is the ideal interface.
We are delighted to offer this advanced solution today," said Gene Wang, CEO & President
of Computer Motion. "We plan to apply our voice control technology across a broad range
of surgical devices to create an industry standard surgeon-to-machine interface for the
operating room."
AESOP (an acronym for Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning) was
first introduced in October 1994. Over 15,000 minimally invasive surgeries have
been successfully assisted by AESOP in over 150 hospitals and surgery centers around
the world.
"I love it [AESOP 2000]!" said Dr. Carlos Gracia, a leading endoscopic surgeon at
San Ramon Regional Medical Center, San Ramon, CA. "It’s quiet, it does what you tell
it to do, it doesn’t complain, it doesn’t fatigue and has a precision that I can’t even
duplicate when I’m holding the camera for someone else."
Computer Motion’s core development team, led by Chief Technical Officer and
Founder, Dr. Yulun Wang, has worked together for over ten years and holds several
key patents in robotics for medical applications. Computer Motion is currently
developing robotic and computer enhanced devices for new surgical applications which
leverage the core technologies underlying the AESOP family of products.
Founded in 1989, Computer Motion is the world leader in medical robotics. The
company’s mission is to enhance surgeons’ capabilities and improve outcomes while
reducing costs in the operating room using computers and robotics. Computer Motion
is privately held and is based in Goleta, CA. The company’s Web site is
http://www.ComputerMotion.com.
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