Chronology

Posted Aug 2, 2026

Updated Aug 2, 2026

2025. Additional FDA 510(k) clearances expand the system configuration and instruments,

Platform redesigned and rebranded as ANOVO™

Feb 2021. FDA de Novo authorization (Hominis) for transvaginal benign gynecologic surgery.

2018. First clinical hysterectomy (Hominis robotic platform) in Belgium (Prof. Jan Baekelandt).

2013. Momentis Surgical founded.

Introduction

The ANOVO™ Surgical System is a robotic platform developed by the Israeli company Momentis Surgical. Unlike conventional soft-tissue robotic systems designed as universal multi-specialty platforms, ANOVO was conceived with a very specific clinical objective: to facilitate natural orifice transvaginal surgery for benign gynecological procedures (actually, in Feb 2021 Hominis beacame the first robotic platform specifically authorized for natural-orifice transvaginal robotic surgery).

Current FDA indications are limited to adult benign gynecological procedures. Importantly, the system is not currently indicated for oncologic procedures nor for general surgery, urology, thoracic surgery, or head and neck surgery.

The system is notable for its humanoid robotic arms, which reproduce the movements of the human shoulder, elbow and wrist inside the patient’s body. This architecture allows high dexterity through a single natural orifice, avoiding abdominal incisions in appropriately selected patients. Although its current indications are limited to gynecology, the underlying technology represents one of the most original mechanical solutions introduced into surgical robotics during the last decade.

Company history

Momentis Surgical was founded in Israel in 2013 by Dvir Cohen, together with Prof. Nir Shvalb. Before founding the company, Dvir Cohen worked as an engineering officer within the Israeli Ministry of Defense, where he developed advanced robotic and opto-mechanical systems. During his market analysis of surgical robotics, he reached an interesting conclusion: surgeons were not necessarily asking for more articulation at the tip of the instrument, but rather for greater freedom of movement inside the patient. This concept eventually led to the development of miniature robotic “arms” rather than conventional articulated instruments.

Initially the company operated under the name Memic Innovative Surgery. Following FDA authorization and the beginning of commercialization in the United States, the company adopted the commercial name Momentis Surgical. A U.S. subsidiary was established in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to support commercialization.

Engineering concept

ANOVO is fundamentally different from most robotic systems. Instead of introducing long rigid instruments through several trocars, the system deploys miniature robotic arms after insertion through a single access.

Each robotic arm incorporates multiple joints that reproduce the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. This creates a robotic mechanism that behaves much more like a human upper limb than a conventional EndoWrist instrument. Unlike da Vinci instruments, where articulation occurs primarily at the distal end, ANOVO distributes motion across several joints, producing remarkable internal dexterity.

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