D8 Holdings Goes After a Brand of Cutting Edge Surgery

After a quiet SPAC news day yesterday, today we get a bite with the announcement that SPAC D8 Holdings Corp. (DEH) has entered into a definitive agreement (DA) with Vicarious Surgical Inc. D8 warrants trade under the ticker DEH/W. 

Vicarious is a cutting edge (pun intended) company that makes surgical robots. Or, as their website says, “The Vicarious robot puts the surgeon inside the patient.” Sounds like something straight out of a science fiction novel. 

The robots are pretty cool. They can essentially mimic a surgeon’s wrist, elbow and shoulder movements. Through the combination of the robotics and virtual reality, a surgeon can perform procedures inside a patient. 

Because of the small size of the device, two robotic arms and a camera can get to work through a minimally invasive incision only 1.5 cm across. Vicarious touts this small opening as leading to fewer complications. 

Another advantage of the product’s size is that it is easily portable. The patient cart, which holds the robot, and the surgeon’s console, where the doctor sits and drives the robot, fit through a standard door and set up and break down quickly. 

It’s pretty cool. You know this technology is rapidly evolving when Vicarious already labels itself as “the next generation” of surgical robotics. Seems like the first generation was just born yesterday. 

Both the common and warrants traded higher on the news, but have given back much of their gains intraday. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.