Computer Motion Founder Selected to Participate in National Academy of Engineering Symposium.

Business Editors

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 8, 2000

Computer Motion Inc. (Nasdaq:RBOT), the pioneer and leader in medical robotics, announced today that its Founder and Chief Technical Officer, Yulun Wang, Ph.D, has been selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) 2000 Frontiers of Engineering Symposium.

The event, September 14-16, 2000 in Irvine, Calif., will bring together engineers ranging in age from 30 to 45 years who are performing leading-edge research and technical work.

According to William A. Wulf, President of the NAE, the selected participants were nominated by fellow engineers or by an organization or academic institution. Nominees must be between the ages of 30 and 45 and have demonstrated accomplishment in engineering research and technical work with recognizable contributions to advancing the frontiers of engineering. "We have invited a cross-section of engineers from academia, industry, and government who represent a variety of engineering disciplines," President Wulf said. "This is to facilitate collaboration and the sharing of ideas and knowledge among the country's top engineers who are in the early stages of their careers."

"It is an honor to have been selected to participate in this prestigious event and rewarding for the NAE to recognize medical robotics as an important technical application," Dr. Wang stated. "This will be an excellent forum to facilitate collaborative efforts and the transfer of new approaches and techniques across fields," commented Dr. Wang.

The symposium will feature topics in the areas of Systems Engineering, Visual Simulation, Engineering Challenges and Opportunities in the Genomic Era, and Nanoscale Science and Technology.

The National Academy of Engineering and governmental and corporate sponsors fund the symposium. This year's sponsors are the Department of Defense, DDR&E-Research; Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; Sandia National Laboratories; Science Applications International Corporation; Microsoft Corporation; DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Xerox Foundation and Xerox Research and Technology; Cummins Engine Company; Lucent Technologies; Pratt & Whitney; and Parsons Brinkerhoff Incorporated.

The National Academy of Engineering is an independent, nonprofit institution that serves as an advisor to government and the public on issues in engineering and technology. Its members consist of the nation's premier engineers, who are elected by their peers for their distinguished achievement in engineering. As such, the NAE is an invaluable national resource, providing leadership and guidance on the application of engineering resources to social, economic, and security problems. The NAE, established in 1964, operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. Visit www.nae.edu for additional information.

Computer Motion is a high-tech medical device company equipping surgeons to enhance life by evolving surgical practices. The company develops, manufactures and markets proprietary computer and robotic surgical systems, which extend surgeons' capabilities, improve outcomes and reduce costs. To date, the Computer Motion family of products has safely assisted more than 100,000 minimally invasive procedures across a broad range of surgical disciplines. Computer Motion's products include the voice-controlled AESOP(R) endoscope positioning system; the HERMES(TM) Control Center, a centralized system which enables the surgeon to voice control a network of "smart" medical devices; and the ZEUS(TM) Robotic Surgical System for new minimally invasive microsurgery procedures, such as endoscopic, beating heart bypass surgery. The ZEUS System is CE-Marked for commercial sale in the European Community and is co-marketed by Computer Motion and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT). Computer Motion has completed FDA-approved Phase 1 Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) studies in the areas of coronary bypass surgery and fallopian tube reanastomosis and has initiated an IDE mitral valve surgery study with the ZEUS System. The company's Web site is www.ComputerMotion.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the company's business and products. Actual results may differ materially depending on a number of risk factors, including the risks of competition and competing technologies, duration or suspension of clinical studies, regulatory clearances and approvals, and physician, hospital and payor acceptance of the company's products. These factors and other risks inherent in the company's business are described from time to time in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K. The company undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.