Flagstaff Elementary School Students Name Northern Arizona Healthcare’s Highly Advanced Surgical Robot

The Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH) Orthopedic & Spine Institute recently challenged students at elementary schools in and around Flagstaff to put their creative hats on and assist in naming Flagstaff Medical Center’s Surgical Robot.  The winning name was unveiled at a robot naming party held in an outside parking lot at Flagstaff Medical Center on Friday, October 22.

Many students involved in the contest attended the party in anticipation of the announcement of the new robot name. The Orthopedic & Spine Institute committee picked the winning name out of the many student submissions. R2-Knee2 was revealed as the winning name, and the name was officially placed on the robot. Two classes won the winning name, a first-grade class from BASIS Flagstaff, and a third grade class from San Francisco de Asis Catholic School. The students who attended the event were able to test out the robot, enjoy pizza, and left with teddy bears from the Orthopedic and Spine Institute.

“We are always thrilled when NAH partners with the local school community, especially when it involves an exciting technological advancement in healthcare,” said Matt Kraemer, orthopedic service line administrator for NAH. “The students did an amazing job coming up with creative names and we are so excited to have R2-Knee2 as the official robot name.”

Flagstaff Medical Center is the first facility in northern Arizona to offer robotic assisted surgery for total knee, partial knee and total hip replacements with Stryker’s Mako System. This highly advanced robotic technology transforms the way joint replacement surgery is performed, enabling surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience with increased accuracy. The robotic-arm allows for quicker surgery, quicker recovery, and all around getting the patient back to their normal lives sooner. A second Mako robot has recently been installed and is being used at Verde Valley Medical Center.