NEW YORK, New York (April 8, 2025)—Virtual Incision, a University of Nebraska startup company building the future of surgical robotics, was listed No. 8 in Fast Company magazine’s annual list of most innovative medical device makers in the world.
Virtual Incision’s inclusion was part of Fast Company’s annual spring edition: “Most Innovative Companies.” The full list includes 609 companies spread over 58 categories, all of which can be seen on the Fast Company website or in the printed version.
In the accompanying text piece about the top medical device companies, Fast Company noted that Virtual Incision “has made it easy for facilities of any size to offer minimally invasive surgery, even bringing its technology to space.”
The full text of Virtual Incision’s entry reads:
Minimally invasive surgery, which involves very small incisions, is great for patients. It results in less pain, fewer complications, and a shorter recovery time. However, roughly 90% of the operating rooms in the U.S. still lack access to technology that makes minimally invasive surgery possible.
Virtual Incision has created MIRA, the first miniaturized robotic surgical system for minimally invasive surgery. While many surgical robots require a dedicated mainframe and operating room, the approximately 2-pound MIRA can be used as a stand-alone device for smaller facilities or within an existing mainframe system. In February 2024, the Nebraska-based company received FDA approval to market MIRA for adults who need colectomies. Colectomies are one of the most complex abdominal procedures, and nearly half are still being performed as open surgery.
In addition, Virtual Incision took MIRA to space. In February 2024, the company developed a space version of MIRA and sent it to the International Space Station. Six surgeons based on earth were able to direct the space MIRA, and they successfully simulated surgical maneuvers such as grasping and cutting.
Closer to home, in July 2024, Virtual Incision launched an international study evaluating MIRA’s ability to handle gynecological procedures. At the end of that month, MIRA successfully completed a hysterectomy at Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland. While the study is still ongoing, in time the company hopes to get clearance for MIRA to do gynecological procedures.
Virtual Incision’s MIRA system is the product of a collaboration between co-founders Shane Farritor, PhD, a UNL robotics engineer, and Dmitry Oleynikov, MD, a former UNMC surgeon. With more than 200 patents and patent applications, Virtual Incision is headquartered in Lincoln.
