Telemedicine and robotic medicine have reshaped the provision of health care services during one of the largest annual gatherings in the world – health care that the government of Saudi Arabia provides free of charge to all pilgrims. The logistics associated with the spike in demand for health care can be daunting, but advances in medical technology have made this challenge easier.

Robotics has been a hot topic over the last year or so, from product unveilings to M&A. Now, Xact Robotics Ltd., which has a presence in Hingham, Mass., and Caesarea, Israel, has reported that its first robotic system gained clearance in the U.S. for use during computed tomography-guided percutaneous interventional procedures.

Dublin-based med-tech conglomerate Medtronic plc took the time to show off its investigational minimally invasive robotic surgery system that's expected to squarely take on long-time segment leader Intuitive Surgical Corp. Ahead of the robotic surgery-focused investor event on the afternoon of Sept. 24, Medtronic unveiled details of the system in an SEC filing.

LONDON – Cmr Surgical Ltd. has again broken the record for a private financing round for a European med-tech company, raising £195 million (US$240 million) in a series C that will fund global commercialization of its portable robotic surgery system, Versius. Since the record-breaking series B in May 2018, when it raised $100 million, Cmr has set up offices in four continents and completed 30 first-in-human procedures. Currently, there are no commercial users, but the company now employs more than 400 people.