Smith & Nephew has acquired Blue Belt Technologies in a $275 million deal that creates a powerful orthopedic implant and technological partnership in the field of robotics-assisted joint surgery.

The deal centers on Blue Belt's Navio surgical system, a handheld robotic bone-shaping device that is said to improve the accuracy of implant placement during unicondylar or partial knee replacement surgery.

Olivier Bohuon, CEO of Smith & Nephew, says the belief that robotics will become mainstream in the near future of orthopedics drove his company's desire to acquire Blue Belt Technologies.

The companies had been partners before the acquisition, with Blue Belt's Navio system available for Smith & Nephew's partial and unicompartmental knee implant systems. Moving forward, Smith & Nephew hopes to expand the offerings of the Navio system to assist surgeons in total knee replacement, revision knee procedures, bi-cruciate retaining knee arthroplasty and, in the long-term, total hip arthroplasty and sports medicine applications.

Eric TImko, president and CEO of Blue Belt Technologies, says the combined efforts of the companies' resources will bring the benefits of robotics-assisted surgery to more patients and new indications.

Daniel Cook