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Distalmotion SA

Route de la Corniche 3
Bâtiment Phenyl
1066 Epalinges
Switzerland

info@distalmotion.com

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who or what is Distalmotion?

Distalmotion is a medical device company founded and based in Lausanne, Switzerland, that serves as a trusted partner to hospitals worldwide, providing reliable and precise robotic surgery systems – designed, developed and manufactured in Switzerland – at transparent and fair per-procedure cost.

Our mission is to remove the complexity out of robotic surgery in order to establish a new standard of care, where all patients in general surgery, gynecology and urology have access to best-in-class minimally invasive care.

To do so, we have developed a surgical robot called Dexter. Dexter integrates into existing laparoscopic procedures, thus combining the affordability of laparoscopy with the benefits of robotics. This makes Dexter a pioneer, in a segment of his own, as the only hybrid robotic solution in the market for minimally invasive care.
Who or what is Dexter?

Dexter is Distalmotion’s proprietary surgical robot. Dexter is a lean product that couples the precision of robotic surgery with the reliability of Swiss engineering; quick to setup, with a low footprint, bringing surgeons back into the sterile field – back to their patients and operating teams.

Built on an open technology platform, Dexter’s proprietary sterile, single-use equipment make it a multi-purpose robot that readily integrates with existing laparoscopic processes.

Dexter allows sterile surgeons and their teams to switch between laparoscopic and robotic surgery in less than 20 seconds.

Dexter features two robotic instrument arms and a robotic endoscope arm, each controlled from the surgeon console. All three arms are designed to provide ample space for the (assistant) surgeon to operate laparoscopically at bedside. Dexter’s versatility enables operating room teams to readily change instruments, adjust instrument positions or even change trocar sites during surgery, giving full multi-quadrant access to the operation site. Dexter’s surgeon console is optimized for ergonomic use in a seated and standing position, reducing the physical strain posed on operating surgeons by traditional robotic consoles.
What are the distinguishing features that differentiate Dexter from other robotic surgery systems?

Dexter stands alone in a segment of his own, as the only hybrid robotic solution in the market for minimally invasive care. As such, Dexter stands for a paradigm shift in robotic surgery whereby the technological frontier in surgical robotics is made-to-fit and serve all needs.

Dexter allows the surgeon to be sterile around the patient – able to switch between robotic and laparoscopic processes within 20 seconds – while leveraging all the key benefits of robotic surgery including full instrument articulation, precision, control and an ergonomic working position.

Dexter is built on a transparent, fair pay-per-use model that allows institutions to forego large lump-sum investment costs and to align Dexter’s costs with the robot’s usage. In most healthcare systems, robotics still has no dedicated reimbursement, however, traditional robotic solutions add costs to every surgery. These costs are borne by patients or hospitals. Dexter’s unique hybrid approach lowers the robotics costs to a fraction of current levels. Dexter therefore multiplies the robotics market’s potential, making robotics affordable for every hospital size and often even allowing for one robot per department (e.g. general surgery, gynaecology and urology), as opposed to merely one robot per institution/hospital.

Dexter is also an open robotics platform that accommodates laparoscopic instruments as well as any 3D imaging system, thus not limiting capacity and compatibility for investment in future innovation – and also protecting hospitals’ existing investments, for example in imaging systems or electrosurgical generators.

By empowering them to switch freely between robotics and laparoscopy while maintaining access to proven tools and work steps, Dexter lets surgeons, be surgeons; enabling them to choose the optimal approach for each step in a procedure.

Surgery is a collaborative task, undertaken in close-knit teamwork by surgeons and their operating room teams. Everyone listens, communicates and works together in this collaborative process. Thus, Dexter was designed to allow human-robot interaction to work successfully; addressing known pitfalls in robotic surgery, reducing cognitive and affective distance within operating room teams by “unboxing the surgeon”.

Dexter was designed with surgeons, for surgeons – in close collaboration through an iterative design and product development process that tailors the robot to the social settings where it is deployed. The result is a surgical robot that offers “the best of both worlds” – combining the advantages of laparoscopy and robotics in an integrated platform – while preserving close-knit, collaborative workflows and bringing surgeons closer to their patients and teams.
Why is Dexter available at lower cost than other robotic systems?

Different to traditional robotic systems, we do not consider robotics a replacement for laparoscopy. Instead, we designed Dexter to integrate robotics and laparoscopy, providing all known benefits of robotic surgery while maintaining proven laparoscopic work flows. Dexter is a versatile robot that reduces the complexity in robotic surgery and focuses on providing access to the best of both worlds – robotics and laparoscopy. Substantial cost reductions are one of several positive externalities that stem from Dexter’s unique, hybrid and less complex approach to robotic surgery: reducing complexity reduces costs, thus Dexter’s unique hybrid approach lowers robotics costs to a fraction of current levels.

Moreover, we designed and developed Dexter based on a transparent, fair pay-per-use model that foregoes large lump-sum investment costs and aligns Dexter’s costs with the robot’s usage. All costs – from robot rental fees, to charges for usage, training, servicing and system updates – come at transparent and flexible monthly or per-procedure rates.
Is Dexter really made in Switzerland?

Yes, Dexter is designed, developed and manufactured in Switzerland.

Founded and headquartered in Lausanne, Distalmotion’s uncompromising approach to precision, service and reliability in pursuit of optimal patient outcomes, is driven out of Switzerland. Distalmotion stands for and invests in best-in-class R&D as well as reliable training and service. Pushing the technological frontier, Dexter’s design, development, engineering and manufacturing is led by leading researchers, designers and specialists in Switzerland. Dexter therefore combines the precision of robotic surgery with the reliability of Swiss engineering.

We stand by our conscious decision to establish our office and grow our team in a high tech environment with immediate access to the latest innovations, know-how and talent in robotics as well as other relevant specialist fields. This enables us to define a new category of surgical robotics – hybrid robotics – and deliver a surgical robot at the highest quality and precision standards. Hence, we are here, in Lausanne, Switzerland and we are here to stay.
Tell me more about Distalmotion, what is the story, what is the organisational structure and what does the company stand for?

Distalmotion was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the Robotics Lab of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Today, we count more than 50 full-time employees with a strong track record in the medical devices sector, ranging from marketing/sales and R&D, to supply chain and design specialists.

Distalmotion is led by an experienced leadership team in Michael Friedrich (CEO), Matthias Reif (SVP Sales & Marketing), Alexandre Berthoud (SVP Operations) and Romain Farkas (SVP Research and Development). Said leadership team can draw on the advisory services of a board that boasts extensive industry experience.

To date, the inherent combination of complexity, separation and cost in the traditional approach to robotic surgery has limited the adoption of surgical robots in minimally invasive care.

Dexter was designed in close collaboration with surgeons to break with the traditional robotics paradigm by removing complexity and defining a versatile, hybrid alternative that makes robotics more accessible and user-friendly – and allows for more than one robot per hospital/clinic. Integrating the best of both worlds – robotics and laparoscopy – Dexter addresses the full range of clinical and economic constraints that have to date hindered the widespread adoption of robotics in minimally invasive care.

We believe that in robotic surgery one size does not fit all. Instead of considering robotics a replacement for laparoscopy, and instead of taking the surgeon away from their patient and operating room team, Dexter was developed to maintain established laparoscopic trocar placements, accommodate popular laparoscopic tools and preserve proven techniques. Through this user-centric design approach that focuses on unlocking the core benefits of robotics, Dexter provides an enhanced alternative for all surgical procedures that are currently still undertaken laparoscopically. And by accommodating all known strengths of laparoscopy, Dexter also offers significant advantages over the prevailing, traditional robotics approach.

Hence, Dexter stands for a new standard of care, where all patients in general surgery, gynecology and urology have access to best-in-class minimally invasive care.

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Distalmotion SA

Route de la Corniche 3
Bâtiment Phenyl
1066 Epalinges
Switzerland

info@distalmotion.com

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