Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes launches Velys Hip Navigation with AI Assistance for hip replacement surgery, reducing workflow time by 57% compared to manual methods

DePuy Synthes received FDA 510(k) clearance in March 2026 for Velys Hip Navigation with AI Assistance, a software-as-a-medical-device that uses machine learning to automate landmark identification for total hip arthroplasty. The software is now available on the Velys Hub.

The AI model was trained on more than 16,000 de-identified X-ray and fluoroscopic images from hip replacement surgeries across geographically diverse U.S. clinical institutions. Landmark identification took an average of 2.27 minutes with AI assistance compared to 5.33 minutes without.

Surgeons retain full control over final anatomical landmark placement; the software suggests placement but users can manually adjust, and the model does not learn from individual usage in real time or automatically retrain on new patient images.

J&J is evaluating separation of DePuy Synthes by mid-2027, with the business potentially bringing up to $20 billion in a sale according to Bloomberg reporting in February.