DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Cirq

Brainlab, founded in 1989 in Munich by Stefan Vilsmeier, is a large navigation- and software-first medical-technology company, and its Cirq is the genuine…

Track Cirq
Manufacturer
Brainlab
Form factor
surgical
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1
Website
brainlab.com ↗

Overview

Brainlab, founded in 1989 in Munich by Stefan Vilsmeier, is a large navigation- and software-first medical-technology company, and its Cirq is the genuine robotic arm in its portfolio: a lightweight, roughly ten-kilogram arm that mounts on the operating-room bed rail and aligns instruments along pre-planned trajectories for drilling and spinal-screw placement, derived from Brainlab's 2019 acquisition of Medineering, with a variant for functional neurosurgery. It is FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine, cleared as the Cirq Robotic Alignment Module alongside the Loop-X mobile imaging robot around 2021, and is CE-marked. The registry deliberately scopes this entity to the Cirq arm rather than Brainlab's broader navigation and software catalog, since Brainlab is navigation-software-first and most of its products fall outside a surgical-robot cohort, with Brainlab recorded as the parent maker and Cirq as the deployable robot; this is the follow-on deferred from the surgical foundational ingest. On the autonomy spectrum Cirq is a passive trajectory-alignment robot that positions and holds instruments along a planned path while the surgeon executes, the lowest-autonomy class in the surgical cohort, in contrast to Brain Navi's NaoTrac with autonomous registration and Moon Surgical's Maestro with its shipped ScoPilot AI. The exact Cirq spine 510(k) date and clearance number are not pinned in this pass beyond approximately 2021, the installed-base count is not verified, and Brainlab's frequently cited revenue figure is a stale 2016 number that is not asserted.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
Verified deployments
1 deployment on file
Sources on file
4 sources, view all

Key facts

Weight

~10 kg

Form factor

lightweight rail-mounted robotic arm

Autonomy level

passive trajectory-alignment robot

Clearance

FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine (~2021); CE-marked

Specs

Notes

Verified: Brainlab (founded 1989, Munich; founder Stefan Vilsmeier) is a large navigation/software-first medical-tech company; the Cirq is its genuine robotic arm/manipulator: a rail-mounted lightweight arm that actively aligns instruments along planned trajectories (passive trajectory alignment, not autonomous cutting). FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine alongside the Loop-X mobile imaging robot; CE-marked. Derived from the 2019 Medineering acquisition., Entity scope (deliberate): The registry entity is scoped to the Cirq ARM, NOT Brainlab's broader navigation/software portfolio (Brainlab is navigation-software-first and most of its catalog is out of a surgical-ROBOT cohort's scope). Brainlab is recorded as parent/maker; the deployable robot is Cirq. This is the follow-on deferred from the surgical foundational ingest., Autonomy: Cirq is a PASSIVE trajectory-alignment robot (positions/holds instruments along a planned path; surgeon executes), the lowest-autonomy class in the surgical cohort - contrast Brain Navi NaoTrac (autonomous registration) and Moon Maestro (shipped ScoPilot AI)., Cap-flag: Exact Cirq spine 510(k) date / K-number not pinned in this pass (~2021); installed-base count not verified. Brainlab's frequently-cited ~$330M revenue is a stale 2016 figure - not asserted.

Specs

Cirq: a lightweight (~10 kg) robotic arm that mounts on the OR bed rail and aligns instruments along pre-planned trajectories for drilling / spinal-screw placement; derived from Brainlab's 2019 acquisition of Medineering. A Cirq variant exists for functional neurosurgery. FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine (Cirq Robotic Alignment Module, cleared alongside the Loop-X mobile imaging robot, ~2021); CE-marked.

Form Factor

surgical (lightweight rail-mounted robotic alignment arm; passive trajectory alignment for spine/cranial)

Fda clearance

FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine

Clearance body

FDA; CE

Procedure types

drilling and spinal-screw placement; functional neurosurgery

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

3

4 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Cirq. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (1)

Cirq on the deployment map

Where Cirq is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Deployment-verified media (1)

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Brainlab

Brainlab footage of its Cirq robotic arm in a spinal navigation-guided workflow. Cirq holds and aligns instruments to a planned trajectory; the surgeon performs the surgery.

From deployment: United States

Regulatory filings (1)

Safety record

No incidents on record for Cirq.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (4)

  1. https://www.brainlab.com/surgery-products/overview-platform-products/cirq-robotic-alignment/
  2. https://www.orthoworld.com/brainlab-cirq-robotics-gains-fda-clearance-for-spine/
  3. https://www.biospace.com/brainlab-loop-x-and-cirq-robotic-alignment-module-for-spine-receive-fda-clearance
  4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainlab

Common questions

What is Cirq?
Brainlab, founded in 1989 in Munich by Stefan Vilsmeier, is a large navigation- and software-first medical-technology company, and its Cirq is the genuine robotic arm in its portfolio: a lightweight, roughly ten-kilogram arm that mounts on the operating-room bed rail and aligns instruments along pre-planned trajectories for drilling and spinal-screw placement, derived from Brainlab's 2019 acquisition of Medineering, with a variant for functional neurosurgery. It is FDA 510(k)-cleared for spine, cleared as the Cirq Robotic Alignment Module alongside the Loop-X mobile imaging robot around 2021, and is CE-marked. The registry deliberately scopes this entity to the Cirq arm rather than Brainlab's broader navigation and software catalog, since Brainlab is navigation-software-first and most of its products fall outside a surgical-robot cohort, with Brainlab recorded as the parent maker and Cirq as the deployable robot; this is the follow-on deferred from the surgical foundational ingest. On the autonomy spectrum Cirq is a passive trajectory-alignment robot that positions and holds instruments along a planned path while the surgeon executes, the lowest-autonomy class in the surgical cohort, in contrast to Brain Navi's NaoTrac with autonomous registration and Moon Surgical's Maestro with its shipped ScoPilot AI. The exact Cirq spine 510(k) date and clearance number are not pinned in this pass beyond approximately 2021, the installed-base count is not verified, and Brainlab's frequently cited revenue figure is a stale 2016 number that is not asserted.
How much does Cirq cost?
Cirq's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Cirq from Brainlab. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Cirq actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Cirq is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Is Cirq autonomous or teleoperated?
Not verified as fully autonomous. Cirq's capabilities on the DEPLOY registry are recorded as teleoperated-assisted, demonstrated-only, or vendor claims (Assists surgery), not independently confirmed to run without a human in the loop.
Who makes Cirq?
Cirq is made by Brainlab, based in Munich, Germany, founded in 1983.
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-12

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-12

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: surgical

Sources by quality tier

2
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure
1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Cirq.

Recent coverage

Cirq in third-party press

Australian first puts farmer back on her feet - Australian Private Hospitals Association

Aug 7, 2025

Precision and effort in robot-assisted placement of pedicle screws compared to standard surgical navigation - Nature

Nov 6, 2024

Feasibility and safety report on robotic assistance for cervical pedicle screw fixation: a cadaveric study - Nature

May 13, 2024