Johnson & Johnson has reported first clinical study results for its investigational OTTAVA robotic surgical system, marking a new step for soft-tissue robotics designed to fit inside existing hospital operating rooms.
The company announced the results on May 5 from a prospective, multicenter study evaluating OTTAVA in Roux-en-Y gastric bypass procedures. The data were presented at the 2026 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting in San Antonio.
In the 30-patient cohort, the study met its primary safety and performance endpoints through 30 days after surgery. Investigators completed all procedures robotically on OTTAVA without converting to a non-robotic approach. Johnson & Johnson said the clinical data, combined with preclinical testing, supported an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for De Novo classification.
What makes the system notable is its architecture. OTTAVA uses four robotic arms integrated into a standard-size surgical table, removing the need for a separate boom or multiple carts. For hospitals, that could address one of the practical barriers to robotic surgery: space.
During the study, the system was installed and used across operating rooms at six participating hospitals. Room sizes ranged from about 243 to 694 square feet. In five of the six locations, the procedures took place in operating rooms that had not previously been used for robotic surgery, including spaces considered difficult for robotic systems.
That detail gives the technology a broader industry angle. Medical innovation often depends on more than clinical performance. Hospitals must consider room layout, staff training, workflow changes, equipment turnover, cleaning routines, and capital planning. A system that fits into more existing rooms could make adoption easier for facilities that lack large robotic suites.
The device remains under development and is not authorized for sale in any market. Still, the study points to a clear direction in surgical robotics: smaller footprints, better integration, and systems built around real hospital constraints.
If regulatory progress continues, table-integrated robotic systems may become a larger part of how hospitals modernize surgical care without rebuilding entire operating departments.
Article and Source: Johnson & Johnson — May 5, 2026
