MDC Builds MRI-Compatible Surgical Robot Using Water-Powered Hydraulics
MDC develops a water-powered robotic system that operates directly inside MRI machines to guide surgical needles in real time. The technology eliminates the need to repeatedly move patients in and out of the scanner during procedures.
Surgeons currently rely on a slow and inefficient process when using MRI machines to guide procedures, requiring them to repeatedly pull the patient out of the scanner to advance a needle. Bay Area startup MDC solves this problem by building a robotic system that operates directly inside the MRI. The company showcases this technology on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
Traditional robots use electric motors and rare earth metals that interfere with MRI imaging, so MDC takes a completely different approach. Founder and CEO Sam Frishman builds the system on his research at John Hopkins and Stanford, utilizing high stiffness and low friction hydraulic transmissions. The robot is powered entirely by water and remains tethered to the outside of the MRI through a simple tube.
The startup initially targets biopsies and ablations, giving physicians direct, dexterous control over the needle as if they are holding it in their own hands. MDC plans to eventually integrate AI guidance and data gathering to provide capabilities beyond human limits, though the physician always retains full control of the procedure. The recent graduate of the SOSV HAX accelerator raises $1.2 million in pre-seed funding to further develop the system.