OR Nurse, this (small platform size) has been one of my favorite Titan attributes since I first invested here. I followed Titan in the Amadeus days but I never thought it brought any competitive advantages to the (OR) table. I have been publicly cruel to both Trixie and Medtronic for offering or designing systems with about a half dozen monolithic obstacles, most of which are cluttering the access paths to the patient, and all of which need to be cleaned, moved, serviced, etc. with regularity.
I dove into ISRG stock around 2003 at $11.65/share because my wife assessed it as a sound platform (she was first nurse in this state to be trained on it) and more so because of prostatectomies - the idea of men having this procedure and maintaining certain functionality seemed promising, because basically, men like sex and would strongly prefer to keep having it. Huge competitive advantage over traditional prostatectomy. The downsides of huge cost, massive size, surgeon comfort, etc. were all completely acceptable 20 years ago because there was no alternative and introducing a new, unrefined technology usually has some drawbacks which can easily be overlooked because of the novel (at the time) advantages it offered.
Not until Titan's single port offering have I seen anything that offers true competitive advantages in this area.
Cost - Check.
Virtually scarless - Check.
Small footprint/patient access during procedure - Check.
Surgeon's face not stuck in a viewport - Check.
Superior range of end effector movement - Check.
Now add to the list things like award winning patent portfolio (Thank you Mr. Brar!), a second camera as a backup, patented camera cleaning (for future use), single-use effectors (new = not dull), etc... And to your point, maneuverability with less chance of expensive damage, more icing on the cake.
We are all in for a fun ride when this thing finally launches!
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First image I saw that hit home Jabberwocky was that monstrosity at the top of the page. I think I made a comment a year or so ago. The DaVinci is like having an elephant in your OR room.
Can you imagine someone trying to gently steer and move this monstrosity out of an operating room and trying to store it safely somewhere?(that does not exist in present day operating room areas). Oops! Sorry boss. I hit one of the robotic arms on the door while trying to move it. It's okay, it will only cost $75,000 to fix it. And,oh, by the way, you are fired.
Sorry for the long commentary but when I see the smaller footprint of the Titan, it just gives me a rosy feeling inside. Smaller footprint, easier to maneuver and a lower cost.
AI
