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I agree. Who the hell touts critical surgery implements by their being eco-friendly. I'm sure the patients don't give a cr*p. Probably not many surgeons either. So yes, hard to believe a language coincidence.
One never gets the 'sense' that they are concerned about anything.
Same w/ me. 17k shares @ $1.87.
NEVER believed I'd be in the red this long with Titan.
How likely is it (do you think), that all of a sudden they are announcing being in the robotics game with Google (of all people), and have a platform they themselves have designed?
Doesn't sound possible to keep something like that under wraps for years. And why even make an announcement with nothing to show but an agreement? Who are they announcing it to, and why?
I can only conclude they have a platform in mind, and they didn't design it. It's not Surgibot; no one thinks it might be an ISRG collaboration. So JnJ, show us a photo from the JnJ robotic labs.
What reasons would Titan have to allow and maintain suppression of their pps? Does that strategy fit in with wanting to be acquired, or having arranged to be acquired already?
Yes, he did. And why even bother to say that since these days any device that uses software can usually undergo some improvement through software.
But, to say "generational" improvements means that the hardware is designed well-enough for the job at hand for some time to come. Only software improvements are needed to add features move the technology forward. And innovational software makes generational change.
I think he was saying the hardware is ready to "sell"; it's hammer and nail for a long time coming. Software will be where revolution takes place.
I really think the JnJ/Google thing is courting Titan. If not them, who?
Question for the big company reps out there:
How typical is it that out of the blue comes a piece of advanced technology, in a new market sector, without an inkling of all the research, planning, testing, etc. that goes into it?
I mean I can believe a Philips can unveil a new scanner technology, but the scientific R/D background on it would be well known (example, SQUID imaging, the physics have been around for decades). An Ethicon isn't just going to announce one day that a new artificial heart is in their sales catalog. What I'm getting at is yes, Google and JnJ made an announcement that they will work together and something is forthcoming in a couple years, but that's not a long time to put out a market-ready competitor to a daVinci. There are robotic technologies out there, but usually they are visible through academic R&D, popular technology press, company PR bites and such.
To me it just sounds crazy that all of a sudden Google's going to design some hipster-app software and JnJ's just going to have this "platform" pop out of nowhere --- to do surgery and pass FDA/CE approvals for christ'sakes! We're not talking about a new blood pressure monitor here.
What has been going on under wraps at JnJ for years to get to this point? My guess is nothing. They need to buy a mature platform. Most of their companies are "monitors" and implants, not to mention Q-tips.
Anybody out there work for JnJ?
I was wondering the same thing. Maybe it is a partnership for JnJ, Google, and ISRG (or some ISRG technology).
Rather not think about that.
I agree, unless there is a Skunkworks surgical robot platform out there (U.S. or internationally) pretty far along in practical development.
So far, all information publically attainable over the past 2 years gleaning knowledge through this board and my own casual investigation leads me to believe there are only a few broad academically-driven platforms (mostly in software), nowhere ready for prime time with a scalpel and suture. Other novel platforms like the deformable fluid balloon articulators are still too far out in left field.
The answer is a well-kept secret of JnJ. But Titan will win or lose depending on it.
The fact that Titan is so silent, so un-interested in ramping up the PR game, and so nonchalant with their investors, and a host of other reasons (Hargrove and JnJ, etc) is really starting to make me believe SPORT technology is the platform.
Also, that we don't know doesn't mean that ISRG doesn't. They must be scared, defensive, and dangerous.
Thank you cptjsd, for the refresher on basic finance.
I'll quote:
"The Bottom Line-
For these reasons, a company's stock price is a matter of concern. If performance of its stock is ignored, the life of the company and its management may be threatened with adverse consequences, such as the unhappiness of individual investors and future difficulties in raising capital."
Also mentioned is a healthy stock price can deter takeover bids.
Is $1.40 a healthy pps for Titan?
I address that question to this board.
From the way I read the article, they are much, much farther away than 1-2 years. So, Google is concerned with "picking the right place for an incision, based on patient information"??!, but not on hardware. This sounds like complete bull for many years. Maybe the surgeon can operate using his iPhone and Google maps?
If JnJ doesn't have hardware ideas on the drawing board yet, that won't infringe on ISRG or Titan, then we're talking 3+ years away minimum before trials.
So, maybe they are courting the Titan platform, which is a physical reality, right now.
Otherwise, they've got something in realware right now that they've been keeping under wraps.
Only an article in a major popular invesment press will do that. Love to see an article in WSJ. PPS would double overnight. Onto NASDAQ in a week.
I told you all that couple weeks ago. And off the radar too. Any evidence to the contrary, please inform me.
Do I care? Not anymore as long as they deliver.
ZZZZzzzzz....ZZZZZzzzzzz...ZZZZZzzzzzz....
Correction:
Surgibot is not a robot. The sooner that meme gets out into the surgical world, the better.
I have no problem with any technical advantages that Surgibot might offer, but it is not a robot. It is a camera and a positioning stablizer for conventional manually-operated instruments.
Repeat after me: Surgibot is not a robot,,,
Isn't the price of Surgibot often said to be ~$500,000?
Does that look like a half-mil piece of equipment?
In two years on this board, not an inkling of info has suggested anything concrete about any other platform or technology in the works anywhere that is as far along as Titan's.
JnJ said, "smaller and more mobile than Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci. It's not really surprising that Johnson & Johnson would be interested in surgical robotics, particularly given rumors that Covidien and Stryker are interested (or have been) as well and the cost of acquiring Intuitive Surgical. While management was dutifully respectful to what Intuitive has accomplished with the da Vinci, they also believe that further adoption in general surgery will be limited by cost issues and a lack of clinical superiority. That this is where a rival system can offer value."
Frankly, unless they have some Skunkwork's type project well-along, I don't see Titan threatened anytime in the next 2-3 years.
However, unless JnJ is planning on buying Titan, this serves as fair warning to Titan that there will only be A SMALL WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY, STARTING NOW to get SPORT out and entrenched.
That means Titan has to pull out all the stops on their timeline. I really don't think the silent philosophy is making much sense. Titan should be developing a presence in the potential market, ramping up the pps to exercise warrants and attract money for a war chest.
I really think a big buyout is more likely scenario than not. Management just won't know where to pull the trigger because the sky could be the limit.
I am heavily involved in medical devices in a major academic hospital. I'm long on Titan and expecting big success.
Since I invested over 2 years ago, I have never once heard Titan or SPORT mentioned in my very varied work environment. That is why I claim that they have no presence for the general investment community, let alone the medical investment community.
I welcome their recent info releases, but they are what I expect as a shareholder anyway. They have not been released to inform the general investment community. That is why a stock of such extraordinary potential can trade like a small pretzel company.
No, the negative vibe comes from a management strategy of virtual silence, whether it will make a difference in the end or not. No investors will flock to this stock until they know about it. What elcaribes and others bitch about doesn't influence a thing. Titan's personnel have been living on their dime for 5 years+. Stockholders have a right to bitch and the more management knows about it the better for their overall understanding of their stockholders, market sentiment, investment interest, etc..
The situation of this company/product, in a high tech medical sector, with a nearly completed and good-looking product, with only one competitor for the next 2-3 years, with market estimates for robotics sales looking stellar, on an shit-obscure exchange, with no analyst coverage, sitting here twisting like a company trying to design a better garden shovel, at a dollar and forty cents, is freakin' ridiculous.
One good article about this company in the WSJ and the pps would triple overnight. That's what some people are frustrated about - they want to make some money, not revolutionize surgery.
It would be interesting to know why the current snakes are the length they are; may be because of a decision to limit deflection under load to some constraint. Intriguing to think what the possibilities for lengthening them could be re: oropharyngeal access. SPORT camera would probably need to go flexible fiberoptic eventually for cases like those.
17,000 shares here.
I don't know the reason for this slide of 5% on twice the typical volume of late but I do know that it isn't helped by a management that insists on keeping this company off the radar.
There is no strength in the holders of this company, no fervor to buy, no speculation, in spite of good news of late, upcoming meeting, prototype work, etc., etc., etc..
If it matters that drops like this can occur, it is solely management's fault. Otherwise, I'm just sitting long - but this company pisses me off. It's a weakly held penny stock on an obscure exchange. It should not be. People who bought in early and have held hard and long deserve better. This company craps on its shareholders.
I agree the quote about the software is important. To me it implies that the mechanics of the manual interface are feeling solid to them, also the SPORT head-to-effector mechanisms. The make-or-break quality of those mechanisms have had me concerned. Surgeons who would find the manual interface problematic, or snake-arms that routinely break are examples of that concern. Also, they must have confidence that the effector design of their contracted company is good. Fowler suggests confidence here that those are all good enough at this point for a workable/sellable product, in his surgeon's view.
The software that interfaces the two can then really sing by enhancing surgeon control and then even beginning to provide automation to some tasks. That Fowler is implying this is very good and forward thinking. But the interesting thing to me is that you don't need a Google or limelight software house to write the kind of software SPORT will use. Most of it is just good basic engineering software, and there is innovation all over in that regard. So, I think the Google idea is a stretch. However, extreme forward-thinking about surgical navigation and automation would benefit from a Google-type powerhouse company.
Also recall that a listed indication for SPORT is vasectomy reversal. I believe that operation falls under the heading of a "micro-surgical" procedure. That means that SPORT is being designed with that level of fine-control and magnifying optics in mind.
Things are only looking better all the time here. I CAN NOT believe there is a Wall Street financial journalist who would not jump at the chance to write a mainstream article about Titan.
One final note: Really, to even consider a Surgibot platform robotic and in the same league as SPORT is ridiculous. Robots require software (whether it's mechanical, analog, or digital). Surgibot is a manual tool. Titan has only one competitor. The field is WIDE OPEN! And we are almost there.
Remember, Titan has a patent or application for patent in for some type of armature that holds multiple SPORT-like heads.
There will be surgeries requiring multiple SPORTs.
Agree 100%. This is really important, and shows how serious they must be.
Must be acknowledged though, more complex arms must be more expensive arms.
I think you are trying to egg Titan into giving us a reveal, and I can't argue with that. Octopus-tech has more press for a system YEARS and YEARS away from practicality than Titan with a working prototype.
Maybe Bertner was drunk from the 2 year anniversary party.
Just plain strange. Nothing should go up on the Titan website without at least a minor commentary as to its relation to the company, personnel, technological importance to the product, etc..
I think it's extremely bad form.
One reason this investment sector is so dead for Titan can be found in articles such as this:
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/is-da-vinci-robotic-surgery-revolution-or-ripoff-021215
From February 2015, but a good synopsis of the sector's current status and public/governmental/health business perception.
This article was the 7th hit for a google on "daVinci robotic surgery"
Not a good advertisement for the technology
I still think one negative with the SPORT may be sterilization of the articulated arms, even though they are covered. If they are disposable, they are likely to be be expensive.
If they are not disposable, they will be more of a challenge to sterilize than an endoscope for example, since they cannot seal the working end because it must connect to the effectors. Source of contamination equals source of liability.
I know this discussion is outside the current chatter about financing and such, but there are real hurdles to overcome on the practical side of the technology. Let's hope Ximedica is as good as we think they are.
Hear!, Hear!
This stock doesn't move on esoteric plots about mergers, anti-trust maneuverings, or even sound medical technology announcements. Today's action is because a bunch of day traders got excited that Titan was 5th on a list of an obscure stock exchange.
Can you imagine how this stock would move with a substantial release/article about how Titan is ACTUALLY positioned to become the next leader in robotic surgery???!!! Within the next year!
This company doesn't want that though, for reasons inexplicable to to its dedicated investors.
Disagree about the homerun, if you are implying Titan is one of them hinted out. Read the text. IPOs, megamergers, whatever. Some success with Titan might be implicated, but I don't see mention of 'secured funding for a breakthrough technology'. In any case, I wish them success and hope they are a good fit for Titan.
The only thing I can tell you about Bertner at the moment is that I'm sure they all have nice NYC duds, the office decor is 1st rate, and the champagne will be high quality. Partly on your dime.
I work at a major academic hospital and talk to everyone: janitors, technicians, doctors, surgeons, and management. In two years I've never heard mention of Titan.
We don't have daVinci, so I think my institution is a bit behind on surgical robotics. But, I really think there is just a huge segment of the medical-investing public who don't even have an inkling of Titan. Add to that they are on a relatively small exchange. TITXF could easily be 3-4x current pps without more than an article or two in popular press.
I think this appears to be a likely scenario, given that so little effort apears to have been made to put the Titan name out there, and raise the pps.
If Bertner is doing anything, and of course it would all be hush-hush, outside financing could be getting lined up. I don't know how this would need to called out on the financial statements, but if it is only a paper promise, perhaps it doesn't need disclosure until it happens.
As far as I can see, Surgibot is nothing more than a stabilizing platform for manual endoscopic instruments. The instruments are constrained more than those found on daVinci, and more than they will be on SPORT. Yes, it has a camera. But the 3D glasses probably are probably a pain. daVinci and SPORT have cameras too. I can't believe it adds any agility to the surgeon. Hell, they're not even thinking that the surgeon may want to sit down. I really don't see the point and I've NEVER heard a surgeon on this site provide one. It is not a robot; it's a fixed MIS guide. That may have some benefits but it's not EVER going to match remotely-controlled and software-modulated effectors.
Titan and/or Bertner appear committed to keeping Titan OFF the radar. That is obvious after all this time. They have never done anything to maintain general, or even medical market interest in their potential product.
It must be part of a bigger strategy, because I can't believe the whole gang is clueless, inept, or stupid.
Unfortunately, their ocassional statements to the contrary now appear disingenuous. That has not fostered any trust by investors.
I am continuing long on this company solely because there is not yet any competition on the horizon (except ISRG). The problem with no market awareness however, is that there is no initial momentum to drive pps up strongly as milestones are reached. It will go up, but far less than what would be possible if there was some background and excitement generated for a potential blockbuster.
The idea of making a killing on this stock in the short term is one I don't entertain anymore.
Interesting yes.
Why does a company really adopt a plan like this?
1. Altruism, they just want their shareholders to get a fair shake?
2. Limit potential lawsuits, in the event a takeover prompts shareholder legal actions rooted in perceived unfairness with the deal?
3. Create more favorable conditions for themselves during negotiations?
I'm cynical enough to drop #1 as the reason.
I'm excited by this news, but this agreement doesn't require that Titan has finalized goods to show, at the moment. It's an agreement to 'develop'. SAIL could start designing a program on paper only at this time. Logistics, proposed costs, levels of certification, simulation models, simulation software,etc.. I know that's mostly bull without a surgeon laying a hand on a real SPORT, but that's how these things go. If Titan puts the money up, SAIL will be glad to design anything they like.
My point is, this type of agreement can be made well in advance of the real deal. The fact the Titan bothered to tell the shareholders about it gives me hope that things are further along that the timeline proposes. I guess the quarterly will have to mention some specifics about money going to SAIL.