ForSight Robotics said on August 6, 2026 that its JASPER Robotic Surgical Platform has completed 26 fully robotic-assisted first-in-human cataract surgeries with a 100% completion rate and no conversions to manual surgery, a clinical milestone the Caesarea-based startup argues shows robotic cataract surgery is now compatible with routine outpatient practice.
26 cases, zero conversions
The results extend ForSight's earlier first-in-human study by 14 patients, all performed by Dr. Alexey Rapoport under Dr. Robert Ang, head of cornea and refractive surgery at the Asian Eye Institute in Manila. Every case was performed with standard topical anesthesia or mild sedation, and every patient was discharged the same day - a workflow indistinguishable from a conventional outpatient cataract clinic. CEO Joseph Nathan said the result 'demonstrates something even more important: that robotic cataract surgery can integrate naturally into the way cataract surgery is performed every day.'
Why JASPER matters
Cataract surgery is the world's most commonly performed operation, at more than 30 million procedures a year, but WHO estimates roughly 600 million people still need the surgery and cannot access it. JASPER combines bimanual robotic manipulation, 3D visualization, real-time eye tracking, motion scaling and tremor elimination, aiming to democratise access by allowing highly repeatable procedures. The platform remains investigational and has not yet been cleared for commercial use.
The wider surgical-robotics race
ForSight's progress lands as competitors close in on regulators. TRM has tracked J&J's OTTAVA FDA de novo authorization for soft-tissue robotic surgery in July and CMR Surgical's US Versius Plus launch, alongside Medtronic's Touch Surgery Aide AI unveil on the Hugo system. ForSight is targeting later-stage clinical studies and regulatory submissions as its next milestone.
Reporting based on coverage from Surgical Robotics Technology and BioWorld.