Chronology

Published Aug 30, 2026

Updated Aug 30, 2026

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Revo-i remains in clinical and commercial use, with South Korea continuing to be its principal market. 2026

International commercial activity continues, including expansion into South America. 2025

Approximately 1,000 cumulative procedures reported. 2024

Clinical use expands into urology, gynecology, general surgery and ENT. 2018-2020

First clinical experience is published. 2018

Revo-i receives MFDS approval in South Korea. 2017

Revo-i prototype. 2008

Meerecompany begins development of a Korean robotic surgical platform.. 2007.

Meere Engineering founded (South Korea). Nov 1, 1984

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Revo-i® is a multi-port robotic surgical system developed by Meerecompany, a South Korean medical-technology company. Approved in South Korea in 2017, it was one of the earliest commercial alternatives to Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci system and remains an important milestone in the development of the global robotic-surgery market.

Its architecture is strongly reminiscent of the da Vinci Si, with a surgeon console, a four-arm patient-side cart, 3D visualization and wristed instruments. However, Revo-i entered the market when Intuitive had already introduced the newer da Vinci Xi, making it effectively a new competitor based on an earlier-generation concept.

Company and market introduction

Meerecompany developed Revo-i as a domestic alternative to the da Vinci platform, with the aim of providing advanced robotic surgery at a lower cost. Meerecompany, was founded on November 1, 1984, originally under the name Meere Engineering (미래엔지니어링). an industrial technology company that subsequently diversified into surgical robotics. The company was incorporated as Meere Engineering Co., Ltd. on December 30, 1992, and changed its name to Meerecompany in 2004

Revo-i received approval from the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in 2017 and subsequently entered clinical use in South Korea. The first clinical experience was reported in 2018, initially focusing on urological surgery. The system was subsequently used in other specialties, including gynecology, general surgery and ENT.

Revo-i therefore predates most of the current generation of robotic surgical platforms. At a time when da Vinci was overwhelmingly dominant, it represented one of the few commercially available alternatives to Intuitive Surgical.

System architecture

Revo-i follows the conventional multi-port robotic-surgery configuration: a patient-side cart with four robotic arms and wristed instruments, a surgeon console with 3D visualization, and a separate vision system. The overall configuration is notably similar to that of the da Vinci Si, reflecting the technological landscape in which Revo-i was developed.

Clinical and commercial impact

Revo-i has been used in urology, gynecology, general surgery, and Head&Neck surgery.

Its ENT approval and clinical experience are particularly relevant, although its clinical adoption in this field has remained limited compared with the da Vinci platform. Revo-i has been used for robotic procedures in Head&Neck Surgery in South Korea, making it one of the earliest non-Intuitive robotic platforms to enter this specialty, although the published clinical experience is considerably smaller than that accumulated with the da Vinci platform.

Despite being one of the earliest serious alternatives to da Vinci, Revo-i has had a limited impact on the global robotic-surgery market. Its adoption has been concentrated primarily in South Korea. The system reached approximately 1,000 cumulative procedures by 2024, a significant milestone for a domestically developed platform but a very small number compared with the global volume of da Vinci procedures. Its limited commercial impact was also an early demonstration that building a robot is much easier than building a successful robotic-surgery ecosystem.

Prior to commencing my venture into robotic surgery, I had established a firm grounding as an oncologic surgeon. My experience encompassed a wide range of resection and reconstructive procedures, as well as proficiency in minimally invasive surgical techniques and endoscopic surgery. These acquired skills and expertise serve as fundamental pillars for achieving success in robotic surgery.

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