MARCH 4, 2008--Adept Technology (Livermore, CA, USA; www.adept.com), a provider of intelligent robotics systems, and Prosurgics (High Wycombe, UK; www.prosurtics.com), an image-guided surgical robotics company, have agreed to collaborate on the design and development of the next generation of Prosurgics' surgical robotic systems for image-guided and navigated neurological and soft-tissue surgery. The companies will create products to address critical needs within the fast-growing surgical robotics market.

The surgical robotics market in the USA is forecast to be worth approximately $2.5 billion by 2011 (according to BCC Research), with an expected average annual growth rate of 43% in the period 2006--2011. For example, surgical robots are now performing more than 50% of prostatectomies in the USA.

"The surgical robotics market requires very high precision products with no room for error," said Rob Bucher, Adept chief executive officer. "Our goal in working with Prosurgics is to create technology platforms that can be used in a range of surgical systems, lowering these systems' total cost of ownership and expanding the reach of our technology throughout the surgical market."

Tue Mar 04 05:57:00 CST 2008