Hellstern medical brings open-surgery robot assist to the US

Hellstern medical has launched noac in the United States, starting with spine surgery ahead of the North American Spine Society meeting in San Antonio. The company says the system is the first robotic surgeon assist for open surgery and has already seen two years of daily use in Europe.

Why it matters: - U.S. hospitals are under pressure from a surgeon shortage and long vacancy times that can stretch 100 to 150 days. - Hellstern medical is targeting open surgery, which represents about 70% of all procedures and has had no robotic support until now. - The launch adds a new approach to surgeon capacity in a market where minimally invasive robotics has reached only about 5% of surgical volume.

What happened: - Hellstern medical announced its entry into the United States with noac, described as the first robotic surgeon assist for open surgery. - The U.S. rollout starts with spine surgery. - The company will exhibit at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting from October 14 to 17, 2026, in San Antonio, at booth 1423.

The details: - noac is a sensor-controlled system that supports the surgeon’s body in real time during open procedures. - The system carries the full load of the lower body, allowing the surgeon to sit through a case. - In locked mode, noac takes the surgeon’s full upper-body weight with the arms fully rested. - In floating mode, the system provides 70% to 80% upper-body support while following the surgeon’s movement. - Setup takes about one minute, and training takes about one hour. - The surgeon still operates with their own hands at the table. - A 2021 study on the S3 prototype, published in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, found the support system significantly lowered surgeons’ muscle activity and fatigue. - noac has supported hundreds of surgeries in daily clinical use in Europe. - Surgeons can see the system at University Hospital Tübingen, which serves as the company’s reference center. - The system is CE marked in Europe. - In the United States, noac is FDA registered, listed as a Class I device, and 510(k) exempt. - Hellstern medical holds 36 international patents.

Between the lines: - The company is positioning noac as a category between a surgical robot and an exoskeleton. - That framing matters because most surgical robotics has focused on console-based minimally invasive procedures, not open surgery. - Hellstern medical is also tying the launch to defense and public-safety use cases. - In 2026, NATO DIANA selected the company from roughly 4,000 innovations. - Hellstern medical demonstrated noac at Vigorous Warrior 2026, NATO’s largest military medical exercise, and signed an opt-in with Military Hospital Ulm. - The military placed a seven-figure order for noac.

What's next: - Hellstern medical said hospital leaders and spine surgeons can request information ahead of NASS 2026 at more information. - The company is using the U.S. spine launch as the first step in a broader technology roadmap that moves from robotic assistance to an autonomous surgeon and then autonomous surgery. - Hellstern medical will continue operations from its locations in Wannweil, Germany, and New York, USA.

The bottom line: - Hellstern medical is betting that open surgery, not only minimally invasive cases, is the next major frontier for surgical robotics.