Intuitive Surgical signs investment, workforce training in Korea, India
Intuitive Surgical, a developer of robotic surgical systems based in the United States, has signed deals in South Korea and India to help upskill healthcare professionals.
Under its memorandum of understanding with the government of Seoul, capital city of South Korea, it will invest 15 billion won ($10.7 million) in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the next five years to expand the operation of its robotic surgery training centre and pursue new business projects.
It initially provided 10 billion won ($7 million) in FDI to the city to establish the Center for Surgical Innovation in 2017. The Seoul government is set to extend its occupancy until 2032.
Meanwhile, it partnered with the Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC), an agency under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship of India, to train over 200 candidates to become emergency medical technicians and equip them with skills in robot-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care.
The training program aligns with Skill India Initiative, the national skills development mission of the Indian government, which aims to meet growing industry demands for skilled labourers.
Lytus buys AI-driven blood logistics platform
Lytus Technologies in India has recently acquired a Chennai-based company that runs an AI-driven on-demand blood management and logistics platform.
Blod.in’s platform runs on AI that does real-time supply-demand mapping, optimises blood inventory forecasting, and provides last-mile routing intelligence for temperature-sensitive deliveries. The company recently conducted a pilot where it integrated agentic AI into its platform and proved its ability to reduce blood procurement time from hours down to 90-120 minutes.
Based on a media release, Blod.in will be part of Lytus’ health technology unit, Lytus HealthTech, which plans to expand its operations nationwide, targeting to partner with 100 more hospitals and over 15 blood banks.
Meanwhile, Lytus committed 1,000 crore INR ($118 million) in growth capital over three years to promote health technology innovation, including enhancing Lytus HealthTech’s AI solutions.
National University of Singapore joins research on children’s digital vaccines
The Schools of Medicine and Computing at the National University of Singapore will take part in a global research and development of digital vaccines for children.
A digital vaccine is a digital therapeutic that incorporates regular neurocognitive training, implicit learning, and immersive gaming to encourage disease prevention among children.
The digital vaccines project at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy explores the use of AI in enabling and promoting precision disease prevention early in life.
Together with its health technology partner, FriendsLearn, Pennsylvania, United States-based Heinz College sought a collaboration with the NUS schools for further R&D of digital vaccines in school settings.
SS Innovations uplists on NASDAQ
Robotic surgical technology maker, SS Innovations, from India, has uplisted on the NASDAQ.
It was recently approved for listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market on 25 April, moving from the over-the-counter equity market of the New York City-based global stock market exchange.
“The timing of our uplisting coincides with the beginning of our global expansion beyond India – into Nepal, Ecuador, Guatemala, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Ukraine – and our planned strategic entry into Europe and the United States,” said chairman and CEO Dr Sudhir Srivastava in a statement.
The company is also pursuing regulatory approvals in both Europe and the US for its flagship surgical robotic system, SSi Mantra, which it expects later this year and early next year, respectively.
