MRIs are an important tool for surgeons, although the technology has its limitations. Take, for example, surgeons who use machines to guide their procedures. The current procedure involves inserting the patient into the machine to obtain an image, before removing it to advance the needle one centimeter at a time. It’s time consuming and frankly resource consuming.
Boasting the tag line “Creating a new chapter in minimally invasive surgery,” Bay Area-based MDC believes the answer lies in robotics. Although robots undoubtedly represent the future of surgery, they present their own challenges in this application. After all, traditional robots contain many things that cannot work inside an MRI.
The company pitched in the Startup Battlefield section at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
The MDC team has created a robotic system that can operate on a patient inside an MRI without relying on electric motors, rare earth metals and other things that can hinder the operation of the imaging machine.
The young startup’s work is built on research done during founder and CEO Sam Frishman’s time at John Hopkins and Stanford. Frishman describes the solution as “high stiffness, low displacement hydraulic transmissions and actuators.” The system is powered by water and is attached to the outside of the MRI with a tube.
“Our system has a few differentiators,” Frishman tells TechCrunch. “Another ability to manage really subtly is doctors. They control the needle, whether it’s positioning, moving forward, working – it’s like they’re holding it in their hand. “
MDC specifically targets biopsies and drug withdrawals in its initial administration. The CEO says those minimally invasive procedures are just the beginning.
“In fact, it enables new capabilities beyond what is possible today,” said Frishman. “That’s when digitization, power assistance, guidance with AI and all the data we collect, start to be added beyond human control, although the doctor is still in full control and makes all the decisions.”
MDC recently graduated from SOSV’s HAX accelerator, and took the stage today as part of the Startup Battlefield at Disrupt. The company has raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding.
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