Sep 2026
Medtronic plc, the global healthcare technology company headquartered in Galway, Ireland, announced a strategic partnership with Cornerstone Robotics, an innovative surgical robotics company, involving an approximately US$700 million investment. The transaction includes rights for Medtronic to distribute Cornerstone Robotics’ Sentire™ surgical system in select markets outside the United States where the system has received regulatory approval.
The partnership expands Medtronic’s robotic-assisted surgery portfolio by combining the Sentire system with Medtronic’s Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. Together, the two complementary platforms are designed to broaden access to robotic-assisted surgery for surgeons and health systems worldwide, offering greater choice and flexibility across clinical settings, procedural requirements, and economic models.
The Hugo RAS system is currently in use in more than 35 countries across six continents, including the United States, and procedure growth for the system is more than two times the growth rate of the broader robotic surgery market. The Sentire system, developed entirely in-house by Cornerstone Robotics, has completed multi-specialty clinical trials and received CE Mark in May 2026 for use in minimally invasive general, gynecologic, thoracic, and urologic surgical procedures, in addition to existing market approvals in China and Singapore.
With global adoption of robotic-assisted surgery currently in the single digits, the partnership positions Medtronic as the only company offering a two-platform robotic surgery portfolio integrated within a connected surgical ecosystem, enabling expanded patient access to advanced minimally invasive surgical care.
Partner Cora Miller and Associates Selena McLaughlin and Rebecca Peck advised Medtronic alongside Cleary Gottlieb.