Versius surgical robot exhibited in new Science Museum gallery

  • CMR Surgical’s next-generation surgical robotic system, Versius, is featured in the Science Museum’s new, free Engineers gallery
  • Opening today, on International Women in Engineering Day, the gallery is dedicated to world-changing engineering innovations, and the people behind them, while highlighting the importance of diversity in developing new innovations for today’s society

CMR Surgical (CMR) – the global surgical robotics business – has today announced that its next-generation surgical robotic system, Versius®, is being installed in a new permanent gallery called Engineers at the Science Museum. The Engineers gallery celebrates remarkable engineers alongside ground-breaking innovations they have helped to develop which address key global challenges. The new gallery is divided into four distinct sections – Bodies, Creating, Lives and Connections – which consists of the stories and experiences from 60 engineers – including those from CMR.

Versius is a uniquely small and modular surgical robotic system which has been developed in the United Kingdom and is a great example of British innovation. The system is included within the ‘Bodies’ section of the Engineers gallery, which explores how healthcare innovations such as Versius place people and their bodies at the heart of their engineering practice. Human stories are at the heart of the gallery, which challenges common misconceptions of what engineers do and offers a fresh perspective on the breadth and diversity of these important roles. This includes stories of people like Dr Uresha Patel, Clinical Development Engineering Lead at CMR, who is featured within the gallery alongside Versius.

On her inclusion in the gallery, Dr Uresha Patel, Clinical Engineering Lead at CMR Surgical commented: “It is an honour to be featured in the Engineers gallery and have an opportunity to promote women in STEM. Diversity and representation are key to developing innovations such as Versius for today’s society and I hope the Science Museum’s new Engineers gallery will help to drive conversations on how we can do that.”

Dr Mark Slack, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder at CMR Surgical commented: “We are thrilled that Versius has been included in the collection of such a celebrated institution as the Science Museum. The small, modular robot that has already transformed the lives of thousands of patients globally is the culmination of many brilliant minds who have worked collaboratively to make Versius what it is today – a leading surgical robotic system that fits the needs of hospitals and surgeons globally. It is an honour for CMR and all the people behind Versius to be recognised in such a way and celebrated alongside other incredible engineering innovations.”

The gallery opening coincides with International Women in Engineering Day, and seeks to celebrate women in STEM, and to support more young women to pursue engineering degrees and careers. In the UK, currently only 18% of those admitted into engineering degrees are women, and women only comprise of 16.5% the UK engineering workforce.[i] By featuring young female engineers from different backgrounds, and their exciting real-world solutions such as Versius that help society to flourish, the gallery hopes to inspire the next generation of girls to consider choosing engineering careers.

 

The inclusion of CMR in the Engineers gallery follows CMR being awarded a King’s Award for Innovation for Versius. The Engineers gallery is free to attend and is now open to the public. To find out more about the Engineers gallery, and book tickets, visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/engineers