The SSI Mantra: India's own surgical robot boasts cheaper price tag

SSI Mantra has already been used for 22 complex procedures at Delhi hospital

India now has a homegrown robotic surgery system that holds out promise of less prohibitive costs in a niche category of medical treatment, thanks to the efforts of a US returnee cardiac surgeon and his tech team.

Designed in India, the SSI Mantra aims to rival the widely popular da Vinci surgical system, which is manufactured by global market leader Intuitive Surgical, and costs less than a third of the latter. The SSI Mantra costs around Rs 4.5 crore and da Vinci Rs 15 crore. It is already being deployed at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre in