China is in the golden age of medical robot development

       Medical robots are a broad category encompassing all robots used in the medical field. In the broadest sense, this includes surgical robots, nursing robots, and rehabilitation robots. Currently, when referring to medical robots in a narrower sense, it more often means minimally invasive surgical robots.

       Minimally invasive surgery, performed through small incisions or natural orifices, minimizes trauma during surgery, shortens recovery time, and has become an inevitable trend in surgical technology development.

　　Since the 1980s, medical robots have been in development for many years, but clinical products remain few. The most well-known is the da Vinci surgical system from the United States. Many countries worldwide are also developing robotic systems for laparoscopic surgery, including Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Israel, and Canada. In China, universities such as Harbin Institute of Technology, Tianjin University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have also conducted relevant research.

　　Laparoscopic surgical robot systems involve the design of high-precision drive and transmission mechanisms for multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms, microsurgery instrument design, low-latency control technology, master-slave operation technology, force feedback technology, etc., representing a typical complex mechatronic system involving multiple disciplines. More importantly, surgical robots are Class III medical devices approved by regulatory authorities and subject to strict requirements regarding clinical safety, reliability, effectiveness, applicability, and production systems.

　　Besides laparoscopic surgical robots, there are many specialized surgical robots, with functional requirements varying according to different departments. Typical examples include spine navigation surgical robots such as the Renaissance system from Mazor Robotics (Israel), the ROSA system from Medtech (France), and the Tianji system from Beijing Ti Zhi Hang, all of which have been clinically applied. Navigation robots generally have lower system complexity than laparoscopic surgical robots, primarily relying on medical imaging and auxiliary bioinformation, using algorithms and human-computer interaction functions to achieve surgical planning and navigation, providing a safe surgical pathway for operation.

　　Since the da Vinci Surgical System received FDA certification in the United States, it has essentially held a monopoly in the global surgical robot market. The latest model in the Chinese market costs around 30 million RMB per unit, with high annual maintenance fees and consumable prices. These high costs create a significant barrier between patients and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery.

　　The da Vinci surgical robot's long-standing monopoly is partly due to the high technology concentration and intellectual property involved in laparoscopic surgical robots, and partly because surgical robots are Class III medical devices, with high registration thresholds and strict regulations. To enter the medical market, products must undergo rigorous type testing, clinical trials, and registration review, and strictly control the research and development process, production process, and product quality according to quality system requirements. Therefore, even with sufficient technological accumulation, introducing surgical robots into operating rooms requires substantial human and financial resources.

　　China is experiencing a golden age in the development of medical robots. The government's guiding policies are favorable, support is strong, hospitals, doctors, and the public have high acceptance of robot surgery, market education is mature, and there is a huge unmet hospital demand. Meanwhile, both universities and companies have shown great interest in the medical robotics industry, creating a positive atmosphere for technological research and development and industrial applications. However, this industry is still in its infancy domestically, with a large talent gap and an incomplete industrial chain. Strong collaboration among government, industry, academia, research, medicine, inspection, and investment is necessary to achieve large-scale popularization and application of domestically produced surgical robots.

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