Spineart, a Switzerland-based spine surgery implants maker, and eCential Robotics have entered into a long-term collaboration deal to co-develop spine surgery applications and co-market the latter’s open robotic surgery platform.

The partnership between Spineart and the France-based eCential Robotics will call for joint efforts in research and development, marketing, and commercialisation.

Under the deal, training centres for augmented spine surgery trials will be established in the US and Europe for surgeons in 2023.

Spineart said that spine surgeons will benefit from eCential Robotics’ advanced integrated platform, which is said to have a streamlined workflow and a smartphone-inspired user interface.

The platform is said to be entirely compatible with Spineart’s range of spine implants.

Spineart CEO Jerome Trividic said: “There’s a strong cultural and geographical fit between our companies. Combining and leveraging eCential Robotics’ technology in navigation and robotics with Spineart’s expertise in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, is the ultimate expression of our Quality, Innovation, Simplicity philosophy.

“We strongly believe that our combined efforts will rapidly establish the integrated platform as the reference in augmented spine surgery with navigation and robotic assistance.”

ECential Robotics is a medical technology firm that designs and develops an open system using robotics, surgical navigation, and 2D/3D robotic imaging.

The firm is said to offer user-friendly technologies to orthopaedic and neurosurgeons to help them visualise their procedures, especially minimally invasive surgery. The eCential Robotics platform is claimed to be an all-inclusive platform that accepts any implant.

ECential Robotics CEO Stéphane Lavallée said: “We are pleased to collaborate with Spineart, a robust and fast-growing partner, which enables us to develop and market the equivalent of the smartphone for medical robots.

“Thanks to our “open” strategy, eCential Robotics is already collaborating, and will intensify its partnerships, with several technology companies and implant manufacturers to associate our platform with diverse 3D imaging devices and proprietary applications.”

Recently, eCential received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) approval for its 2D and 3D imaging, navigation and robotics guidance system.