Next-Gen Medical Robotics
Kinova Unveils KIMA, a Next-Generation Medical Robotic Arm, for Clinical Environments at SRS 2026
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Kinova, a Canadian robotics company marking its 20th anniversary, has launched KIMA — a medical robotic arm built specifically for hospital operating rooms. The official unveiling took place at the Society of Robotic Surgery (SRS) 2026 Annual Meeting, scheduled for July 23–26 in Hollywood, Florida, according to PR Newswire.
KIMA supports procedures including endoscopy, bronchoscopy, and complex surgical interventions. Unlike many rivals, it was designed from scratch for clinical use — not adapted from a factory robot. The global medical robotics market hit $16.73 billion in 2025 and is growing at 20.2% per year, per Yahoo Finance.
A Robot Built for the OR, Not the Factory Floor
Most medical robotic arms start life as industrial machines built for assembly lines. Engineers then add workarounds to meet hospital safety rules. Kinova took a different path with KIMA. François Boucher, Kinova's Vice President, said: "KIMA represents a shift in how medical robotics should be built. We designed this robotic arm specifically for clinical realities, applying absolute quality manufacturing standards," according to PR Newswire.
KIMA weighs under 13 kg and carries a 3 kg payload — light enough to mount on a mobile cart. It has no bulky external control box. That matters in a crowded OR. The arm meets IEC 62304 Class C, the highest safety standard for medical device software, and ISO 14971, the global standard for medical device risk management, per Newswire.
A Network of Safety-Focused Tech Partners Powers KIMA
Kinova did not build KIMA alone. The arm runs on QNX OS 8.0, a real-time operating system certified to the same IEC 62304 Class C standard. Real-Time Innovations (RTI) supplies the Connext framework, which handles fast, reliable data sharing between the arm and other hospital systems. Both partners were chosen specifically for their medical safety credentials, according to PR Newswire.
MedAcuity handles high-assurance software engineering to keep KIMA on the right side of regulators. MPE and Acontis round out the partner network on hardware and communications. This ecosystem approach lets medical device makers — called OEMs — plug into KIMA's platform and build their own tools on top, potentially cutting product development by 18 to 24 months, per Yahoo Finance.
20 Years: From Assistive Devices to Operating Rooms
Kinova was founded in 2006 in Boisbriand, Quebec, by Charles Deguire. The company's first product, the JACO arm, helped people with upper-body disabilities live more independently. Two decades later, Kinova's hardware already powers the Auris Health Monarch Platform — a Johnson & Johnson surgical robot — making it a quiet but critical player in high-end surgery, according to CA Finance Yahoo.
Deguire marked the milestone with a measured statement: "The important thing is not the size of the steps we take, but the willingness to keep moving forward, one step at a time." In November 2025, Kinova also joined a $41 million ARPA-H project called RAMMP to develop next-generation assistive mobility platforms, per PR Newswire.
What Comes Next for KIMA and Surgical Robotics
Following the SRS 2026 conference, Kinova is expected to begin shipping KIMA units to its first partner OEMs in Q3 2026. The surgical robotics market is projected to reach $27.14 billion by 2030, according to MarketsandMarkets. Patients needing minimally invasive procedures — like lung biopsies or GI screenings — could benefit as KIMA makes robotic systems smaller and cheaper for hospitals to buy, per Newswire.
Not everyone agrees that purpose-built is better. Rivals like KUKA point to decades of industrial reliability. Others, like Universal Robots, argue that high-volume factory production keeps prices lower — a real concern for budget-tight diagnostic clinics. KIMA's true test will come when OEM partners bring finished products to market and regulators weigh in on its real-world safety record, per PR Newswire.
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