DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Dexter

surgicalpilotby Distalmotion

Distalmotion (founded 2012 in the Lausanne area of Switzerland as an EPFL spinout; private) makes Dexter, a hybrid laparoscopic surgical robot designed for…

Track Dexter
Manufacturer
Distalmotion
Form factor
surgical
Maturity
pilot
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
1

The verified answer

As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies Dexter, a surgical by Distalmotion (pilot): 1 verified deployment on record. 4 sources back the record.

Regulatory status1 FDA 510(k) clearance1 FDA De Novo authorization

Dexter holds 1 FDA 510(k) clearance and 1 FDA De Novo authorization, per the DEPLOY registry.

See all 2 filings

Overview

Distalmotion (founded 2012 in the Lausanne area of Switzerland as an EPFL spinout; private) makes Dexter, a hybrid laparoscopic surgical robot designed for cost-efficiency and operating-room integration that lets surgeons switch between robotic and manual laparoscopy within the same procedure. Dexter is a genuine master-controlled robotic manipulator that received its European CE mark in December 2020, with European market launch following in 2021, and then crossed the key US gating event with FDA De Novo marketing authorization in October 2024 for adult inguinal hernia repair, since expanded with two further US clearances covering cholecystectomy and gynecologic procedures including total benign hysterectomy.

The company reports nearly 3,000 patients treated across Europe and the US, raised $150 million in November 2025 to accelerate US expansion, and positions Dexter for ambulatory surgical centers as a cost-efficiency play. The registry records it at commercial maturity, solidly past its gating events and in early US scale-up, with a teleoperated master-slave baseline and no shipped autonomy or AI-assist feature.

One date-precision note: the CE mark is December 2020, while the 2021 figure sometimes cited refers to the European launch year. Exact installed-system and country counts are not verified for the private company, and the roughly 3,000-patients figure is company-sourced and plausible but not regulatory-audited.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
pilot(Small-scale deployment in controlled or trial conditions.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Form factor

Hybrid laparoscopic surgical robot

Autonomy level

Teleoperated master-slave; no shipped autonomy or AI-assist feature

CE mark

December 2020

FDA De Novo authorization

October 2024 for adult inguinal hernia repair

Patients treated

Nearly 3,000 across Europe and the US (company-sourced, not regulatory-audited)

Funding

$150 million raised in November 2025

Specs

Notes

Verified: Distalmotion (founded 2012, Lausanne/Ecublens Switzerland; EPFL spinout; private) makes Dexter, a master-controlled laparoscopic robotic manipulator. CE mark Dec 2020 (European launch followed 2021). FDA De Novo Oct 2024 for adult inguinal hernia repair (first US indication and the key gating event), then two more US clearances (cholecystectomy; gynecology incl. total benign hysterectomy). Raised $150M Nov 18 2025; named Chas McKhann Executive Chairman. Targets ASCs (ambulatory surgical centers) as a cost-efficiency play., Maturity = commercial: CE-marked since 2020 with European market launch, US De Novo plus two follow-on clearances, ~3,000 patients treated, and a $150M growth round: solidly commercial, in early US scale-up. Teleop master-slave baseline; no shipped autonomy/AI-assist feature., Date precision (correction): CE mark is Dec 2020 (the 2021 figure sometimes cited is the European LAUNCH year, not the CE date)., Claimed but NOT verified: Exact installed-system count and country count (private company); the ~3,000-patients figure is company-sourced (plausible, not regulatory-audited).

Products

Dexter: a hybrid laparoscopic surgical robot designed for cost-efficiency and OR integration, letting surgeons switch between robotic and manual laparoscopy in the same procedure. CE mark Dec 2020; FDA De Novo Oct 2024 (inguinal hernia repair); two further US indications (cholecystectomy; gynecology incl. total benign hysterectomy).

Form Factor

surgical (hybrid laparoscopic teleoperated robot: switch between robotic and manual laparoscopy mid-procedure)

Fda clearance

FDA De Novo marketing authorization in October 2024

Clearance body

FDA, CE

Procedure types

adult inguinal hernia repair, cholecystectomy, gynecologic procedures including total benign hysterectomy

Data & sources

Press releases

1

Web sources

3

4 sources backing this record.View all →

Availability and pricing

Availability
Not disclosed
Price
$500K to $1M (analyst estimate)as of 2025-01-01
Units in field
Not disclosed
Sales model
Not disclosed
Lead time
Not disclosed

Autonomy: verified vs claimed

What it actually does
Teleoperated (human-controlled)

Pricing

One-time purchase

$500,000 - $1,000,000 USDanalyst estimateas of 2025-01-01

Source: How Much is a Surgical Robot? (2025 Edition) – R2 Surgical

Price status: actual-sale-price = real published price at time of sale; manufacturer-target = vendor target, not yet realized; analyst-estimate = third-party projection, not a vendor figure; not-announced = no price on record.

Prices verified as of Jan 1, 2025

Deployments (1)

  • Dexter at European Unionpilot

    Dexter is a CE-marked robotic surgery system used for laparoscopic surgery in the European Union, having received its CE Mark in 2022.

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

Dexter on the deployment map

View the global map

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

Free to use on your site, with a link back to DEPLOY.

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 Distalmotion

Distalmotion's overview of its Dexter surgeon-controlled robotic surgery system. 'Empowering access to robotic surgery' is the maker's framing.

From deployment: European Union

Regulatory filings (2)

Safety record

1 incident on record (1 minor). Most recent: Jun 2026.

minor
1

Most recent: Jun 2026

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

Incidents affecting Dexter (1)

Includes incidents linked directly to this model or to deployments of it. Retracted incidents are excluded from this view but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (4)

  1. https://www.biospace.com/distalmotion-dexter-fda-de-novo
  2. https://www.bioworld.com/articles/distalmotion-ce-mark-dexter
  3. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/11/18/distalmotion-150-million
  4. https://www.massdevice.com/distalmotion-dexter-fda-clearance/

Common questions

What is Dexter?
Distalmotion (founded 2012 in the Lausanne area of Switzerland as an EPFL spinout; private) makes Dexter, a hybrid laparoscopic surgical robot designed for cost-efficiency and operating-room integration that lets surgeons switch between robotic and manual laparoscopy within the same procedure. Dexter is a genuine master-controlled robotic manipulator that received its European CE mark in December 2020, with European market launch following in 2021, and then crossed the key US gating event with FDA De Novo marketing authorization in October 2024 for adult inguinal hernia repair, since expanded with two further US clearances covering cholecystectomy and gynecologic procedures including total benign hysterectomy. The company reports nearly 3,000 patients treated across Europe and the US, raised $150 million in November 2025 to accelerate US expansion, and positions Dexter for ambulatory surgical centers as a cost-efficiency play. The registry records it at commercial maturity, solidly past its gating events and in early US scale-up, with a teleoperated master-slave baseline and no shipped autonomy or AI-assist feature. One date-precision note: the CE mark is December 2020, while the 2021 figure sometimes cited refers to the European launch year. Exact installed-system and country counts are not verified for the private company, and the roughly 3,000-patients figure is company-sourced and plausible but not regulatory-audited.
How much does Dexter cost?
Dexter is listed at $500,000 to $1,000,000 on the DEPLOY registry. This is an analyst estimate, not an official price.
How Much is a Surgical Robot? (2025 Edition) – R2 Surgical
Is Dexter actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Dexter 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 Dexter autonomous or teleoperated?
Not verified as fully autonomous. Dexter'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 Dexter?
Dexter is made by Distalmotion, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, founded in 2012.
Where is Dexter deployed?
1 verified deployment of Dexter is on the DEPLOY registry, including at European Union.
Can you buy Dexter?
Dexter is in pilot deployments with named customers and is not yet broadly for sale.
Is Dexter FDA cleared?
Dexter has 2 regulatory records on the DEPLOY registry: FDA 510(k) clearance (K251197), cleared; FDA De Novo authorization, cleared. See the Regulatory filings section for each agency source.
What are alternatives to Dexter?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable surgical robots to Dexter include da Vinci (and Ion), Edge Multi-Port Surgical Robot, Edison Histotripsy System, Stryker Mako SmartRobotics.
How does Dexter compare to da Vinci (and Ion)?
Dexter and da Vinci (and Ion) (Intuitive Surgical · 15 deployments) are both surgical robots on the DEPLOY registry. Dexter has 1 verified deployment on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Dexter a top surgical?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Dexter ranks in roughly the top 36% of surgical models tracked by the registry.
What is Dexter's maturity stage?
Dexter is at the pilot stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Pilot stage means at least one named-customer trial deployment is verified.
Is Dexter safe?
Dexter has 1 active incident on record in the DEPLOY registry. 1 incident on record (1 minor). Most recent: Jun 2026. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
What is the Distalmotion Dexter surgical robot?
The Distalmotion Dexter is a soft tissue surgical robot that simplifies operations to make wristed robotics more accessible. It received FDA marketing authorization (De Novo) in October 2024. Dexter is designed to be the 'surgeon's robot' that provides the physician complete control of the procedure. Distalmotion is expanding indications in uro-gynecology.
Distalmotion: FDA marketing authorization Distalmotion: Expanding indications
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-22

Verification posture

Verified

High confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-22

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: pilot

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: surgical

Sources by quality tier

3
unclassified
Unclassified source
1
primary-company-ir
Company IR disclosure

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

Methodology surface for Dexter.

Recent coverage

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