Olympus is the world's largest maker of endoscopes, and Sasa is currently director of Olympus Medical Services.

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Originally designed for removing gallstones, endoscopes are now being used in more than 40 different types of surgery in Japan.

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Taylor, professor of Computer Sciences at Johns Hopkins University have tried another tack by making a tiny snake-like robot go where endoscopes have gone before and focused on making a fully articulated tip.

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As well as cameras, Olympus also makes medical equipment and the new company will focus on "developing a variety of new medical devices that would not be possible by Olympus alone", such as endoscopes used in keyhole surgery.

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