As we close out July 2026, our industry demonstrated steady momentum.
Rather than large-scale venture funding rounds, activity centered on strategic IP acquisitions, regenerative M&A transactions, and commercialization milestones—including landmark FDA clearances spanning sports medicine navigation, expandable spinal interbodies, and patient-matched joint preservation.
Surgical Navigation & Arthroscopy
FDA De Novo Clearance for Intra-Articular AR Navigation
Smith+Nephew [https://www.smith-nephew.com] received U.S. FDA De Novo classification for its TESSA™ (Tracking Enabled Spatial Surgery Assistant) Spatial Surgery System. Originally developed from technology acquired through Perceive3D [https://www.perceive3d.com] (a spin-off from the University of Coimbra), TESSA integrates AI-driven personalized planning, augmented reality, spatial computing, and real-time tracking directly into arthroscopic workflows.
Granted clearance specifically for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction, the platform establishes an entirely new FDA category for intra-articular orthopedic stereotaxic navigation instruments. By mapping patient-specific 3D anatomical models onto live arthrosc...
