Company Description
Vicarious Surgical Inc. (NYSE: RBOT) is a surgical robotics company in the surgical appliance and supplies manufacturing industry. The company is developing the Vicarious Surgical Robotic System, a surgical robot intended to enable surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures with 3D visualization and precise control. According to the company, its technology is designed with a focus on abdominal access and visualization through a single port, and aims to substantially increase the efficiency of surgical procedures, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Vicarious Surgical describes itself as a next-generation robotics technology company seeking to improve lives by transforming robotic surgery. Its novel surgical approach uses proprietary human-like surgical robots to virtually transport surgeons inside the patient to perform minimally invasive surgery. The company reports that it is led by a team of technologists, medical device professionals and physicians.
Vicarious Surgical indicates that it has received backing from a group of technology-focused investors, including Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla’s Khosla Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Jerry Yang’s AME Cloud Ventures, Sun Hung Kai & Co. Ltd and Philip Liang’s E15 VC. This investor base reflects interest in the company’s attempt to develop a disruptive surgical robotics platform.
Business model and segments
Based on available information, Vicarious Surgical is focused on the research, development and eventual commercialization of its Vicarious Surgical System. The company’s activities are reported across segments that include research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative functions. Research and development efforts encompass system design, engineering, testing and refinement of surgical capabilities such as instrument articulation, visualization and system integration in realistic surgical environments.
Sales and marketing activities are oriented around preparing for potential commercial adoption of the system once development and regulatory milestones are met, while general and administrative functions support corporate operations, public company responsibilities and related activities. The company also uses strategic outsourcing and external engineering partnerships to support software development and other technical workstreams associated with its robotic system.
Technology focus and development approach
Vicarious Surgical’s robotic system is intended to provide 3D visualization and accurate control through a single-port access approach for abdominal surgery. The company describes its robots as human-like, with the goal of virtually transporting surgeons inside the patient to perform minimally invasive procedures. This approach is being developed to support key elements of procedures such as ventral hernia repair and to evaluate subsystems including energy delivery instruments, visualization and imaging.
The company highlights a specification-driven, iterative development methodology that includes in-vivo animal labs, targeted technical evaluations and structured surgeon feedback. For example, an in-vivo porcine lab was used to assess core system capabilities such as instrument articulation, visualization, system integration and procedural workflow in a realistic environment appropriate for system development. Data from these activities are used to inform design refinement, verification planning and system optimization.
Software is a significant component of the Vicarious Surgical System. The company has entered into a strategic partnership with a global digital engineering and software development services firm. Under this arrangement, the external partner assumes responsibility for a substantial portion of software development activities that support the robotic system, including control systems, visualization and workflow components. Vicarious Surgical states that this hybrid model is intended to improve execution, increase development predictability and reduce operating expenses by combining internal leadership with external execution capacity.
Capital allocation and operating focus
Vicarious Surgical has communicated an emphasis on operational efficiency and cost management as it advances development of its robotic system. The company has provided public guidance on expected cash burn for specific future periods and has described an operational reset that includes reductions in headcount and external consulting spend, along with selective use of strategic outsourcing to support critical development milestones. These steps are presented as part of aligning the organization around a leaner cost structure while maintaining progress toward system design milestones.
The company has also raised capital through registered direct offerings and concurrent private placements of common stock, pre-funded warrants and common warrants, and has put in place an at-the-market (ATM) offering program to sell shares of Class A common stock from time to time through a sales agent, subject to an effective shelf registration statement and other conditions. These financing activities are described as supporting general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures and research and development expenditures.
Listing status and regulatory context
Vicarious Surgical’s Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RBOT. The company has disclosed that its public warrants, which were listed under the symbol RBOT.WS, were subject to delisting and trading suspension by the NYSE due to trading price levels, and a Form 25 was filed with respect to those warrants. The company has stated that trading in its common stock on the NYSE is unaffected by the warrant delisting, although continued trading is subject to the company’s ability to regain compliance with applicable NYSE continued listing standards within a defined cure period and to meet other listing requirements.
As a public company, Vicarious Surgical files periodic and current reports, proxy statements and other documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filings provide additional detail on its financial condition, operating expenses, capital structure, governance, risk factors and development plans for the Vicarious Surgical System.
Corporate governance and stockholder matters
The company’s governance structure includes a board of directors with committees such as an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. Recent disclosures describe changes in board composition, committee appointments and the selection of a Chairman of the Board. Vicarious Surgical has also called special meetings of stockholders to vote on matters such as approval of the exercise of common warrants issued in connection with financing transactions, as required under NYSE rules.
Vicarious Surgical identifies itself as an emerging growth company under applicable U.S. securities laws, which affects certain reporting and compliance requirements. The company uses both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures, such as Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted EPS, to describe its operating performance and provides reconciliations of these metrics in its financial disclosures.
Investor communications
The company has stated that it uses its investor relations website, as well as social media channels such as LinkedIn and X, as distribution channels for information that may be considered material to investors. It also participates in healthcare and investor conferences, hosts earnings calls and publishes investor presentations to provide business updates, discuss financial results and outline its development roadmap for the Vicarious Surgical System.
FAQs about Vicarious Surgical Inc. (RBOT)
- What does Vicarious Surgical Inc. do?
Vicarious Surgical Inc. is a surgical robotics company developing the Vicarious Surgical Robotic System. The system is intended to enable minimally invasive surgery with 3D visualization and accurate control, with a focus on abdominal access and visualization through a single port. - When was Vicarious Surgical founded and where is it headquartered?
According to company disclosures, Vicarious Surgical was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. - What is the Vicarious Surgical System?
The Vicarious Surgical System is the company’s single-port surgical robot platform. It is designed to use proprietary human-like surgical robots to virtually transport surgeons inside the patient to perform minimally invasive surgery, emphasizing abdominal access and 3D visualization. - How does Vicarious Surgical describe its business objectives?
The company states that it is developing a disruptive surgical robotics technology with multiple goals: substantially increasing the efficiency of surgical procedures, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. - On which exchange does RBOT trade and what securities are associated with it?
Vicarious Surgical’s Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RBOT. The company also had publicly traded warrants (RBOT.WS), and the NYSE has filed a Form 25 to remove those warrants from listing and registration. - What are Vicarious Surgical’s main operating segments?
Available information indicates that the company reports activities across research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative segments, reflecting its focus on developing and preparing to commercialize the Vicarious Surgical System. - How is Vicarious Surgical funding its development activities?
The company has used mechanisms such as registered direct offerings, private placements of warrants, and an at-the-market offering agreement to sell Class A common stock, as well as providing cash burn guidance and undertaking cost management initiatives, to support its operations and development efforts. - Who are some of the investors backing Vicarious Surgical?
Vicarious Surgical reports backing from investors including Bill Gates, Khosla Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, AME Cloud Ventures, Sun Hung Kai & Co. Ltd and E15 VC. - What is the company’s approach to developing its robotic system?
The company describes a specification-driven, iterative development approach that includes in-vivo animal labs, targeted technical evaluations and structured surgeon feedback to assess system performance and inform design refinement and system optimization. - Where can investors find more detailed information about Vicarious Surgical?
Investors can review the company’s SEC filings, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K and proxy statements, which provide detailed information on its financial condition, governance, risk factors and development plans.