IMRIS Visius Surgical Theatre at Brigham and Woman's Hospital
May 24, 2013 — Although not specifically designed for cardiovascular surgery, a new robotic surgical system being developed will likely add to the growing interest of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a replacement for X-ray angiographic interventional procedural guidance.
IMRIS Inc. now has a U.S. patent defining the foundational technologies for its Symbis surgical system, a minimally invasive and MRI-compatible microsurgical robot system.
Currently under development at IMRIS, the Symbis surgical system is an image-guided, micro-neurosurgery robot that will combine surgeon-directed robotic arm manipulation with integrated high-definition 3-D anatomical and MR imaging views to enable delicate brain micro-surgery.
The system is being designed to work inside an intraoperative MRI within the Visius surgical theatre and provide a virtual extension of the surgeon's hands through robotic instruments with haptic feedback, motion refinement and intricate dexterity, for use in the narrow surgical pathways of cranial neurosurgery.
The recently allowed U.S. patent — No. 8,396,598 and titled "Microsurgical Robot System" — is the fifth patent issued related to the Symbis microsurgical system technology, method and concept since development of the product began.
For more information: www.imris.com
March 25, 2026 
