We see evidence dating back to 2017 that Johnson & Johnson has been regularly publishing about their investments and initiatives related to artificial intelligence. At present, Johnson & Johnson does not seem to boast any mature, deployed applications with the firm itself, but its AI-related investment initiatives indicate their aspirations. According to an analysis by FiercePharma, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is the largest pharmaceutical firm by revenue, bringing in $82.1 billion in 2019. However, its pharma group has seen the lions' share of J&J's success, outperforming its other units with notable sales expansion in oncology and immunology. J&J claims to be investing in data science competency throughout the firm.

Since Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system earned the FDA nod in 2000, the company has enjoyed a sizable head start in the minimally invasive robotic surgery field. Competition has been brewing for years, from players large and small, but 2018 could be the year the market finally sees a shake-up. North Carolina's TransEnterix scored an FDA nod for its Senhance system in October, triggering a 75% bump in its stock price. The device, a rare new entrant to the robotic abdominal surgery market, is designed to make it easier to perform laparoscopic surgery. It is cleared for colorectal and gynecological surgery and features haptic feedback, so the surgeon can "feel" the tissue that the robotic arm is touching.

This week, Google's Verily (formerly Google Life Sciences) and Ethicon, a Johnson & Johnson medical device company, announced the formation of a startup called Verb. "In the coming years, Verb aims to develop a comprehensive surgical solutions platform that will incorporate leading-edge robotic capabilities and best-in-class medical device technology for operating room professionals." But seriously, that's not much to go on, so let's see what we can piece together from the press releases put out from the various companies involved. It's Taurus, from SRI Robotics, which (according to a press release) "is licensing next-generation robotics technology to Verb Surgical that we believe will impact both the open and minimally invasive surgery markets and ultimately make the benefits of robotic surgery accessible to more patients around the world." While Taurus, originally designed as a bomb-disposal robot, is very much not a surgical robot in its current implementation, it represents several technologies that are very valuable in a surgical context: highly dexterous small manipulators and an advanced teleoperation system with haptic feedback.