Medtronic invests $700M in surgical partner Cornerstone Robotics

Medtronic, a Minneapolis-based medical device company, invested $700 million in Cornerstone Robotics and gained distribution rights to its Sentire surgical system in select markets outside the U.S. Medtronic will now offer two robotic-assisted surgery platforms: its own Hugo system and the newly partnered Sentire system, which has completed multi-specialty clinical trials and received market approval in China, the European Union, and Singapore. This dual-platform approach matters because it expands access to robotic surgery by giving surgeons and health systems more options suited to their varying clinical needs and preferences. The partnership reflects Medtronic's broader strategy to drive growth in minimally invasive surgery, an area where Hugo procedures are already growing at more than double the rate of the overall robotic surgery market.