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Under the direction of CEO and Founder Yossi Bar, LEM Surgical is developing the next generation of hard tissue surgical robotics for the spine. The company’s technology focuses on improving patient outcomes, surgical staff experience, patient experience, and cost of care.
LEM Surgical’s origins are deeply rooted in the extensive experience and vision of Yossi Bar, who has spent nearly two decades at the forefront of surgical robotics with a strong focus on the spine. Born and raised in Israel, Bar began his career with Mazor Robotics, the company that first commercialized surgical robotics for the spine. His decade-long journey with Mazor was formative, witnessing the company’s groundbreaking work until its acquisition by Medtronic in 2018.
Following this acquisition, Bar sought new opportunities and joined another medical robotics company in Israel. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led him to seek fresh innovations. Bar explained, “About four years ago, I started talking to Swiss professors and Medtech experts. We were intrigued by the enigma: Why do surgical robots succeed in areas like soft tissue and orthopedics but stagnate in the spine? After some time, we agreed that there was still a lot to do in surgical robotics and the spine.” This collaboration culminated in the founding of LEM Surgical in 2021, based in Bern, Switzerland. Committed to his vision, Bar moved his family to Switzerland to help “bring the next generation of spine surgery innovation to life.”
Approximately 1.6 million spine procedures are performed each year in the United States—and that volume is projected to increase in the coming years due to U.S. population demographics. Bar emphasized, “Spine surgery by nature is a high-risk and challenging field. Delicate nerves and blood vessels surround multiple small and delicate vertebrae.”
Bar explained the current landscape, “Spine surgery, like many other types of surgeries, is evolving towards less invasive surgery. We all know smaller incisions equals less blood loss, infections, and complications. But when you gravitate toward a minimally invasive surgery, you, by definition, increase the risk level to the patient and the physical and mental burden of the surgical staff. Technologies like robotics can help with this by making the complicated surgeries more predictable.”
There are currently several surgical robots for the spine; however, the landscape has more or less plateaued. Bar suggested this is because “all the companies that provide surgical robots for the spine provide essentially the same solution—a single robotic arm paired with a static navigation system primarily used for pedicle screw insertion.” Bar explained the situation from the surgeon’s perspective, “After several years of working this way, surgeons started saying that it’s great that the robotic arm can assist in putting screws in accurately and efficiently, but it’s just not enough.”
Put simply, the current robotic solutions for the spine only have one function: to place the pedicle screws, which only account for only ~15-20% of the surgery. Bar stressed, “What about all of the other steps in the procedure? There are unmet needs in each of those steps that a robot can help address.”
LEM Surgical is developing Dynamis, the first and only multi-arm robotic system for hard tissue surgery. The Dynamis system is a single mobile cart that can go under any surgical table and deploy three robotic arms from both sides of the patient. This includes two surgical arms, one from each side of the patient) and one surgical arm solely dedicated to scouting tasks, like imaging and navigation. Bar described their system as it compares to the current single-arm solutions: “Being able to deploy three robotic arms around the patient enables us to provide comprehensive solutions to all diverse spine needs. Our three-armed system enables us to deal with tasks that were unapproachable until today.”
Bar emphasized the significance of having a multi-arm surgical robotic system: “Try to tie your shoe laces with one arm.”
LEM Surgical has made significant progress in its mission to develop the next generation of hard tissue surgical robots to improve clinical outcomes. Bar shared, “We successfully completed a very robust human factors study with over 30 U.S. surgeons and nurses. We plan to submit our 510(k) to the FDA this year and do a limited release next year. In parallel, we just completed building an in-house, state-of-the-art assembly line to enable us to deliver and maintain the highest level of medical device manufacturing proficiency. Next year, we will conduct our Series C round mid-year to raise capital to support our upcoming commercial activities.”
According to LSI’s Market Analysis and Projections (MAP) Database, within the $7.9B global market for surgical robotics market, sales attributable to robotic systems for use in spine and neurosurgery procedures are projected to see double-digit growth of 12.0% from 2023 to 2028. Currently valued at $228M, this market's rapid growth is driven by the adoption of surgical robotic systems used to manage the 8M+ spine procedures performed worldwide each year. With the global population of adults over the age of 65+ years approaching a billion (currently estimated to be approximately 800M), LSI projects that the volume of spine surgeries will increase at a CAGR of 7.9% from 2023 to 2028, reaching approximately 12.3M surgeries by the end of this forecast period.
Bar has been selected to present at LSI USA ‘25 next March 17-21 in front of hundreds of global medical technology companies. Join us in welcoming Bar to the event in Dana Point, CA, where he will share the latest updates on LEM Surgical’s technology and development.
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