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Ep. 84 Your Implant Robot: The Future of Robotic Assisted Surgery with iotaMotion Founders Dr. Marlan Hansen and Dr. Christopher Kaufmann
FromBackTable ENT
Ep. 84 Your Implant Robot: The Future of Robotic Assisted Surgery with iotaMotion Founders Dr. Marlan Hansen and Dr. Christopher Kaufmann
FromBackTable ENT
ratings:
Length:
42 minutes
Released:
Jan 10, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
In this crossover episode of BackTable, Dr. Eric Gantwerker interviews Dr. Chris Kaufmann and Dr. Marlan Hansen from the University of Iowa about their startup company, iotaMotion, which has developed the first FDA-approved robotic cochlear implant insertion system.
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iotaMotion
https://iotamotion.com/
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SHOW NOTES
First, Dr. Kaufmann and Dr. Hansen speak about their backgrounds and interests in entrepreneurship and engineering along with their medical focus. As otolaryngologists, both wanted to find a way to improve cochlear implant insertion in order to preserve cochlea function and structure. Their device, iotaSOFT, robotically assists surgeons during implantation and minimizes the risk of advancing the implant too far within the cochlea. They emphasize that this is a tool to assist surgeons, not change the technique with which they operate. They also note that their primary motivation was to help patients, so they were more concerned about safety and effectiveness rather than market competition and monetization.
Then, they speak about the development path of their product and start up company. They filed for intellectual property rights under the University of Iowa and then formed a startup company that licensed the technology in order to commercialize the device. They discuss how they slowly added more employees and consultants to their company and set phases and goals for hiring and fundraising. Next, they explain challenges they had to overcome, such as the FDA approval process and COVID-19 setbacks on their clinical studies. They noted that iotaSOFT has received support from many surgeons once they understood that the robotic system merely assisted their surgeries without taking any control away from them.
Finally, they discuss future plans for iotaSOFT such as integrating it with other devices and developing it further to be able to reside in the cochlea with the implant.
---
CHECK OUT OUR SPONSOR
iotaMotion
https://iotamotion.com/
---
SHOW NOTES
First, Dr. Kaufmann and Dr. Hansen speak about their backgrounds and interests in entrepreneurship and engineering along with their medical focus. As otolaryngologists, both wanted to find a way to improve cochlear implant insertion in order to preserve cochlea function and structure. Their device, iotaSOFT, robotically assists surgeons during implantation and minimizes the risk of advancing the implant too far within the cochlea. They emphasize that this is a tool to assist surgeons, not change the technique with which they operate. They also note that their primary motivation was to help patients, so they were more concerned about safety and effectiveness rather than market competition and monetization.
Then, they speak about the development path of their product and start up company. They filed for intellectual property rights under the University of Iowa and then formed a startup company that licensed the technology in order to commercialize the device. They discuss how they slowly added more employees and consultants to their company and set phases and goals for hiring and fundraising. Next, they explain challenges they had to overcome, such as the FDA approval process and COVID-19 setbacks on their clinical studies. They noted that iotaSOFT has received support from many surgeons once they understood that the robotic system merely assisted their surgeries without taking any control away from them.
Finally, they discuss future plans for iotaSOFT such as integrating it with other devices and developing it further to be able to reside in the cochlea with the implant.
Released:
Jan 10, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Ep. 2 The Struggle Is Real(ly Important!) With Dr. Eric Gantwerker: In this episode, our hosts Dr. Ashley Agan and Dr. Gopi Shah are joined by Dr. Eric Gantwerker to speak about medical education and the nuances involved along different levels of training. by BackTable ENT