The FDA has granted De Novo approval for Memic Innovative Surgery’s Hominis Surgical System, the first robotically-assisted surgical device for facilitating transvaginal hysterectomy in certain patients.

The minimally-invasive device, which is intended for benign hysterectomy with salpingo-oophorectomy — removal of the ovaries and fallopian tubes — uses surgical instruments inserted through the vagina and a video camera inserted laparoscopically.

The device’s transvaginal approach reduces the number of incisions needed on the abdomen compared to conventional laparoscopic hysterectomy.