Versius by CMR Surgical: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · US market launch following FDA clearance

First clinical trials begin2018Complete.
CMR Surgical achieves $1B+ valuation (unicorn)2019Complete.
CE Mark approval for Versius2019Complete.
Deployments across 20+ NHS partnerships in UK2023Complete.
Win King's Award for Enterprise in InnovationApr 2023Complete.
UK manufacturing facility opens, capable of 500 systems/yearOct 2023Complete.
Surpass 20,000 completed surgical proceduresMar 2024Complete.
FDA De Novo clearance for VersiusOct 2024Complete.
FDA 510(k) clearance for Versius Plus (cholecystectomy)Dec 2025Complete.
CE Mark approval for paediatric surgery applicationsJan 2026Complete.

Upcoming

2026US market launch following FDA clearance (next)
2027NVIDIA IGX THOR integration for AI-powered surgical robotics

Current obstacles

Surgeon adoption curveEven with familiar interfaces, surgeons need training and confidence-building on a new robot; this takes time and strong clinical data.
Competing with da Vinci dominanceIntuitive Surgical has decades of market presence and training precedent; overcoming this requires clinical evidence.
Reimbursement coverageRegulatory approval does not guarantee hospitals are reimbursed for using Versius; payers must accept it as standard care.

Physics limits

Sensor and motor precisionSurgical robots must position instruments to within 1mm across a 30cm workspace while handling tissue forces up to several kilograms; this demands precise sensors and powerful control systems.
Surgeon-to-robot latencyAny delay between surgeon hand motion and instrument response breaks the sense of direct control; networks and signal processing must keep latency under 100 ms.
Surgical instrument durabilityInstruments must survive hundreds of autoclaving cycles and sterilization; material wear and weakening limits lifespan and drives consumable costs.

How it works

3 parts

Modular arms

Removable from standard fixtures

Versius arms attach to standard operating table fixtures, so no special OR infrastructure is needed.

Surgeon control

Familiar laparoscopic interface

Surgeons position trocars in standard laparoscopic locations and control instruments with familiar hand motions; training time is shorter than fixed systems.

Surgical scope

Support for multiple specialties

Versius is used for thoracic, general, colorectal and gynaecologic surgery, plus paediatric procedures, giving hospitals flexibility for different teams.

Spec sheet

Spec	Versius
Patients treated (as of Mar 2026)	45,000+^R (reported)
NHS hospital partnerships (UK)	20+^R (reported)
UK manufacturing capacity	500 systems/year^R (reported)
Employees	681^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Papers & demos

1 item

2021paper
Versius clinical trials in multiple surgical specialties (opens cmrsurgical.com)Published evidence of Versius safety and efficacy in thoracic, general, colorectal and gynaecologic surgery

About CMR Surgical

The team behind Versius

CMR Surgical

Surgical robot, Versius, minimal access surgery

CMR Surgical builds Versius, a modular surgical robot for minimally invasive procedures. The system is small and portable, fitting into standard operating rooms without infrastructure changes. It has won approvals across Europe, Australia and Brazil, with 45,000+ patients treated as of March 2026.

Achieved unicorn status in 2019 at $1B+ valuation; Series D in 2021 at $3 billion.
Versius operates at 20+ NHS hospital partnerships in the UK and internationally across multiple surgical specialties.
Secured $200M in April 2025. FDA De Novo October 2024. FDA 510(k) cleared December 2025. CE Mark paediatric January 2026.

cmrsurgical.com (opens cmrsurgical.com)Company profile →

Founded: 201412 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Private
Valuation: $3BprivateApr 2025
Staff: ~681Oct 2026
Raised: $1B3 rounds
Last round: Growth funding · $200MApr 2025
Works in: RoboticsSurgical & medical
Coverage: 1 program · 11 updateslatest 1 Mar 2026checked 10 Oct
Customers: Milton Keynes University Hospital (opens mkuh.nhs.uk)Institut Curie (opens institutcurie.fr)
Partners: NVIDIA (opens nvidia.com)
People: Massimiliano Colella (opens cmrsurgical.com)CEO

Spec

Versius

Patients treated (as of Mar 2026)

45,000+^R (reported)

NHS hospital partnerships (UK)

20+^R (reported)

UK manufacturing capacity

500 systems/year^R (reported)

Employees

681^R (reported)