For Release: May 10, 2001
Altera Plays Instrumental Role in Bringing da VinciTM Surgical Robot First to Market
Altera Technology is Key to Development of First FDA-Cleared Robotic Surgical System
San Jose, Calif., and Mountain View, Calif., May 10, 2001 -- Intuitive Surgical®, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISRG), the leader in precision surgical robotics, today announced that it chose programmable logic technology from Altera Corporation (Nasdaq: ALTR) for its da VinciTM Surgical System. The da VinciTM Surgical System provides a surgeon with the intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability, and 3-D visualization characteristic of open surgery, while simultaneously allowing the surgeon to perform minimally invasive surgery through tiny 8-mm incisions.
Altera programmable logic devices (PLDs) allowed Intuitive Surgical to rapidly complete development of the breakthrough product and begin clinical trials, and in July 2000, the da VinciTM Surgical System was cleared by the FDA for commercial use. The da VinciTM Surgical System continues to be the only complete robotic surgical system to have achieved this regulatory hurdle.
Mike Tierney, the da VinciTM system's hardware architect, stated, "Attempting to bring a system concept as advanced as the da VinciTM Surgical System to market in such a relatively short period made it imperative that we align closely with a programmable logic supplier. We determined several requirements for our supplier, including: (1) a broad, high-quality product line with many options for device speed, density, operating voltage, and packaging; (2) a stable set of coordinated development tools for design entry, simulation, and verification; (3) competitive pricing with an excellent track record for delivery; and (4) device in-system programmability for field updates. In our evaluation, only Altera excelled in each of these requirements."
The da VinciTM Surgical System incorporates over 20 unique programmable logic-based designs implemented by over 40 Altera devices that perform or contribute to nearly every real-time function necessary for precise, reliable, and safe operation. Rob Younge, Intuitive's chief technology officer and co-founder explained, "These proprietary designs were conceived and implemented wholly within Intuitive Surgical, and were not part of any initial technology transfer at Intuitive's inception. In no small part, the choice of Altera helped enable this intense hardware development effort to succeed under the strict time constraints we set. Without Altera, the hardware development effort would not have matched the timeline for the remaining deliverables that did benefit from our initial licensing agreements."
Tim Colleran, vice president of product marketing for Altera, noted, "The da VinciTM Surgical System represents the kind of innovative, ground-breaking technology that PLDs can help realize quickly despite high degrees of complexity and rigorous requirements.
We are pleased that our products enabled the rapid development of da VinciTM, not only for the first-to-market success it brings Intuitive Surgical, but also for the significant medical benefits that are now available as a result."
About Intuitive Surgical
Since our inception in November 1995, Intuitive Surgical has engaged in the development and commercialization of products that are designed to provide the flexibility of open surgery while operating through tiny ports. We believe that our technology enables surgeons to perform better surgery while giving patients the benefits of minimally invasive surgery, including decreased trauma and postoperative pain, reduced surgical complications, and shorter hospital stays. In 1999, we introduced our da VinciTM Surgical System and EndoWristTM instruments. Intuitive Surgical went public in June 2000 and is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol ISRG. More information on Intuitive Surgical is available on the Internet at http://www.intuitivesurgical.com.
About Altera
Altera Corporation, The Programmable Solutions Company®, was founded in 1983 and is a leading supplier of programmable logic devices (PLDs). Altera's CMOS-based PLDs are user-programmable semiconductor chips that enhance flexibility and reduce time-to-market for companies in the communications, computer peripheral, and industrial markets. By using high performance devices, software development tools, and sophisticated intellectual property cores, system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions can be created with embedded processors, memory, and other complex logic together on a single PLD. Altera common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol ALTR. More information on Altera is available on the Internet at http://www.altera.com.
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