DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Senhance

Asensus Surgical, formerly TransEnterix and based in Durham, North Carolina, was a public company on the NYSE American as ASXC that made the Senhance…

Track Senhance
Manufacturer
Asensus Surgical
Form factor
surgical
Maturity
commercial
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
3

The verified answer

As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Senhance, a surgical by Asensus Surgical (commercial): 3 verified deployments on record. 4 sources back the record.

Regulatory status2 FDA 510(k) clearances1 FDA recall

Senhance holds 2 FDA 510(k) clearances and has 1 FDA recall on record, per the DEPLOY registry.

See all 3 filings

Overview

Asensus Surgical, formerly TransEnterix and based in Durham, North Carolina, was a public company on the NYSE American as ASXC that made the Senhance multi-port laparoscopic robotic system, FDA-cleared via 510(k) in October 2017 with subsequent instrument and indication clearances, making Senhance a genuinely cleared if relatively low-volume commercial product. The headline current-state fact is that Karl Storz acquired the company, closing on August 22, 2024 at $0.35 per share for about $95 million, a roughly 67 percent premium, with the stock ceasing to trade on the NYSE American at close, leaving Asensus a private Karl Storz subsidiary; this is the canonical example of a large medtech company absorbing a struggling robotics startup for a fraction of its historic enterprise value.

The registry records Senhance at commercial maturity with an active lifecycle, since it remains a cleared product line continuing under Karl Storz, while the company status is recorded as acquired. The company's next-generation LUNA system, unveiled in February 2023 with claimed real-time clinical intelligence and cloud machine learning, was not FDA-submitted, not cleared, and not for sale as of the August 2024 close, so LUNA is recorded at research maturity, with a 2025 FDA target that is unverified as met and a current status under private ownership that is not publicly traceable.

On AI substance the cleared digital-surgery features are machine-vision and digital-laparoscopy assists that are real but incremental rather than autonomy, and the Performance-Guided Surgery framing was oversold relative to what is cleared.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
commercial(Commercially deployed with revenue-generating operations.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Acquisition price

$0.35 per share (~$95 million total)

Acquisition close date

August 22, 2024

FDA clearance date

October 2017

LUNA unveiling date

February 2023

LUNA FDA target

2025

Specs

Notes

Verified: Asensus Surgical (formerly TransEnterix; Durham NC; was NYSE American: ASXC) made the Senhance laparoscopic robot, FDA-cleared via 510(k) in Oct 2017 with subsequent clearances/indication expansions. Senhance is a genuinely cleared, commercial (if low-volume) product., Current status: ACQUIRED by Karl Storz (the headline): Karl Storz acquired 100% of Asensus, closing Aug 22 2024 at $0.35/share (~$95M total, ~67% premium); the stock ceased trading on NYSE American at close (delisted; now a private Karl Storz subsidiary). The canonical big-medtech-acquires-struggling-robotics-startup datapoint: a former public-market name sold for a fraction of its historic enterprise value. maturityStage=commercial (Senhance is cleared + still a product line); company status=acquired; lifecycleState=active (Senhance line continues under Karl Storz)., LUNA = research: The next-gen LUNA (real-time 'clinical intelligence' + cloud ML) was NOT FDA-submitted / NOT cleared / NOT for sale as of the Aug 2024 close. Karl Storz had targeted 2025 FDA - that target is unverified as met. LUNA = research-tier; current status under private-owner Karl Storz is not publicly traceable (cap-flag)., AI-substance + claimed-not-verified: Cleared 'digital surgery' substance = machine-vision/digital-laparoscopy assists (real but incremental, not autonomy); 'Performance-Guided Surgery' framing oversold vs what's cleared. NOT verified: LUNA FDA submission/clearance ever occurring; current Senhance installed-unit count (Karl Storz private); whether Senhance is actively commercialized vs wound down under Karl Storz.

Products

Senhance: FDA-cleared multi-port laparoscopic robotic system (initial 510(k) Oct 2017 as TransEnterix; later 3mm instruments, ultrasonic, indication expansions, machine-vision clearance). LUNA: next-gen system (unveiled Feb 2023) with claimed real-time clinical intelligence + cloud ML; NOT FDA-submitted/cleared, NOT for sale.

Form Factor

surgical (multi-port laparoscopic teleoperated robotic system with machine-vision/digital-laparoscopy assists)

Fda clearance

October 2017

Clearance body

FDA

Procedure types

multi-port laparoscopic

Data & sources

Press releases

1

News coverage

1

Web sources

2

4 sources backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Senhance. 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 (3)

  • Senhance at Japan (JGSDF Trials)operational

    Multiple hospitals in Japan adopted the Senhance system.

  • Senhance at United Statesoperational

    The Senhance system received FDA 510(k) clearance in 2017 for laparoscopic procedures and pediatric clearance in March 2023, with limited US adoption across approximately 5 or more hospitals.

  • Senhance at European Unionoperational

    The Senhance digital surgical system has been deployed at multiple EU hospitals, including Klinikum Idar-Oberstein in Germany, which initiated a Senhance surgery program, and LMU Klinikum in Munich, where the system was…

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

Senhance on the deployment map

View the global map

Where Senhance 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 Asensus Surgical

Asensus Surgical footage of its Senhance digital-laparoscopy system in a simulation and training environment (not a live clinical case). A surgeon-teleoperated system, not autonomous.

From deployment: European Union

Components (1)

  • Senhance Instrument Armactuatorsafety-critical(primary safety)

    Instrument arm

    • actuator failure · critical: FDA recall after reports of unintended/uncontrolled arm movement; device correction.

Components carry componentClass + safetyCritical flag. ModelComponent rows carry safety_role (primary_safety / backup_safety / monitoring / non_safety) + optional supplier identity.

Regulatory filings (3)

Safety record

2 recalls on record (2 critical). Most recent: Sep 2023.

critical
2

Most recent: Sep 2023

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

Incidents affecting Senhance (2)

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.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/08/22/asensus-surgical-karl-storz-closing
  2. https://www.massdevice.com/asensus-surgical-karl-storz-acquisition/
  3. https://www.urologytimes.com/view/transenterix-senhance-fda-clearance
  4. https://www.therobotreport.com/karl-storz-closes-acquisition-of-asensus-surgical/

Common questions

What is Senhance?
Asensus Surgical, formerly TransEnterix and based in Durham, North Carolina, was a public company on the NYSE American as ASXC that made the Senhance multi-port laparoscopic robotic system, FDA-cleared via 510(k) in October 2017 with subsequent instrument and indication clearances, making Senhance a genuinely cleared if relatively low-volume commercial product. The headline current-state fact is that Karl Storz acquired the company, closing on August 22, 2024 at $0.35 per share for about $95 million, a roughly 67 percent premium, with the stock ceasing to trade on the NYSE American at close, leaving Asensus a private Karl Storz subsidiary; this is the canonical example of a large medtech company absorbing a struggling robotics startup for a fraction of its historic enterprise value. The registry records Senhance at commercial maturity with an active lifecycle, since it remains a cleared product line continuing under Karl Storz, while the company status is recorded as acquired. The company's next-generation LUNA system, unveiled in February 2023 with claimed real-time clinical intelligence and cloud machine learning, was not FDA-submitted, not cleared, and not for sale as of the August 2024 close, so LUNA is recorded at research maturity, with a 2025 FDA target that is unverified as met and a current status under private ownership that is not publicly traceable. On AI substance the cleared digital-surgery features are machine-vision and digital-laparoscopy assists that are real but incremental rather than autonomy, and the Performance-Guided Surgery framing was oversold relative to what is cleared.
How much does Senhance cost?
Senhance's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Senhance from Asensus Surgical. 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 Senhance actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Senhance 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 Senhance autonomous or teleoperated?
Not verified as fully autonomous. Senhance'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 Senhance?
Senhance is made by Asensus Surgical, based in Durham, NC, founded in 2006.
Where is Senhance deployed?
3 verified deployments of Senhance are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Japan (JGSDF Trials), United States, European Union.
Can you buy Senhance?
Senhance is in commercial deployment and is sold to operators; contact the manufacturer to buy, and see the pricing section for any recorded price.
Is Senhance FDA cleared?
Senhance has 3 regulatory records on the DEPLOY registry: FDA recall, recalled; FDA 510(k) clearance, cleared; FDA 510(k) clearance (K171120), cleared. See the Regulatory filings section for each agency source.
What are alternatives to Senhance?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable surgical robots to Senhance include Edge Multi-Port Surgical Robot, Edison Histotripsy System, da Vinci (and Ion), Toumai.
How does Senhance compare to Edge Multi-Port Surgical Robot?
Senhance and Edge Multi-Port Surgical Robot (Edge Medical Robotics · 14 deployments) are both surgical robots on the DEPLOY registry. Senhance has 3 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Senhance a top surgical?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Senhance ranks in roughly the top 60% of surgical models tracked by the registry.
What is Senhance's maturity stage?
Senhance is at the commercial stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Commercial stage means production-grade deployments are operating at named customer sites.
Is Senhance safe?
Senhance has 2 active incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. 2 recalls on record (2 critical). Most recent: Sep 2023. Retracted incidents are excluded from this count.
What is the Asensus Senhance surgical robot?
The Asensus Senhance is a robotic surgical system that empowers surgeons with real-time insights. The FDA issued a Class I recall (the most serious type) for the Senhance system due to malfunctions causing unintended movement. Class I recalls may cause serious injuries or death.
FDA: Senhance Class I recall Asensus Surgical
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
secondary-trade-publication
Trade publication

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

Methodology surface for Senhance.

Recent coverage

Senhance in third-party press

Karl Storz to fully integrate Asensus, discontinue Senhance

Jan 1, 2024

Asensus Senhance surgical robot receives FDA 510(k) clearance

Jan 1, 2024