Photos by Jamie Nygaard

There’s a new pirate in Bluffton. It’s “Robo Pete.”

It will eventually be on the staff of Bluffton Hospital, and was named by the Bluffton second grade class in a school-held name the robot contest. The school has Pirate Pete as its mascot, thus the name Robo Pete makes sense.

Here’s the story.

On Nov. 3 Bluffton elementary, middle school and high school students witnessed a demonstration of The Women’s Center at Bluffton Hospital’s da Vinci Surgical robot.

Anthony Brown of Intuitive Surgical, the company that manufactures the robots, led demonstrations for elementary and middle school classes giving them an understanding of how the robot works.

Students also had several hands-on stations led by BHS robotics and anatomy class members.

In an evening program, the general public was able to also watch the robot at work.

That event included an introduction and overview of the Women’s Center of Bluffton Hospital presented by Chief Administrative Officer Chris Keller.

A demonstration of the surgical robot was provided by OB/GYN Dr. Lorie Thomas.

 “We were excited to showcase this technology as we prepare to add it to our array of services at Bluffton Hospital as part of the new Women’s Center,” said Keller.

“We are very proud to be able to bring cutting-edge services such as this to Bluffton, allowing more people to stay close to home for advanced surgical procedures.”