Homegrown surgical robots cut into foreign tech monopoly

A technician of Dessight Biomedical Co Ltd inspects the microneedle of an ophthalmic robot at the company's laboratory in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/China Daily]

Significant breakthroughs taking place; market to reach 30 billion yuan by 2026

With years of effort, China's homegrown surgical robots are achieving significant breakthroughs in independent innovation, marching toward breaking the foreign monopoly on such technology.

In July, the first ophthalmic robot-assisted retinal surgery in Asia was successfully performed in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, safely and smoothly. Different from conventional operations, a surgical robot played a vital role during the whole procedure.

Within three minutes, the surgical robot named MikroElena, with a high precision of three microns, injected 400 microliters of thrombolytic drugs into the patient's subretinal located in the eye fundus. The robot drove a microneedle with a 100-micron outer diameter, which is as thin as a hair strand, and delivered the drugs precisely into the targeted lower cavity just above the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer to treat blood clots. Post-operative follow-up visits showed that the patient's sight was restored and had recovered well.

Li Wenyun, a healthcare analyst at VBData.cn, a Chongqing-based healthcare service platform, said: "The average thickness of the macular central fovea of the retina is 250 microns, and the ideal precision for surgery inside the central fovea is within 10 microns. As there is an inherent physiological shaking of approximately 100 microns that cannot be overcome in human hands, it is necessary to introduce ophthalmic robots into surgeries."

"Ophthalmic robots increase the accuracy and safety of operations while lowering surgical risks and doctors' fatigue levels. It also helps in shortening the doctors' learning curve and breaking through the limits of human physiological operations. However, before the launch of MikroElena, only a few high-tech enterprises and scientific institutions in Europe, the United States and Israel were engaged in related fields. The success of the surgery marks a giant leap in the development of China's indigenous surgical robot manufacturers," she said.

Cui Di, founder and CEO of Hangzhou-based Dessight Biomedical Co Ltd — the company that developed the ophthalmic robot — revealed that behind the robot's flexible, steady and precise performance were years of arduous efforts in research and development.

"The R&D process required the whole team to relentlessly go through design, simulation, operation and verification. Sometimes we had to overturn all previous designs and start again."

Cui noted that currently, Dessight is standing at the forefront of the technology globally. The introduction of the product enables domestic medical professionals to gain access to the most advanced technologies. The company is also considering exporting the robot overseas to benefit patients abroad.

In June, China's first homegrown robot for laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) surgery, developed by Beijing-based high-tech enterprise Shurui Robotics, was approved by the National Medical Product Administration. It is the world's second commercially approved robot for LESS surgery, the first being the da Vinci robot developed by US-based Intuitive Surgical Inc.

"The robot adopts independent, innovative technology that is the first in the world. It features a wide range of motion, strong load capacity and high reliability," said a public announcement from the NMPA.

Xing Nianzeng, chairman of the Chinese Urological Doctor Association, said, "The gradual launch of homegrown surgical robots broke the technical barriers of foreign companies, and demonstrated the level of China's smart manufacturing and advanced technologies."

Cui from Dessight said: "For years, China has heavily relied on imported high-end medical equipment. The realization of independent innovation and domestic substitution promotes the internationalization of China's healthcare industry. Meanwhile, the domestication of surgical robots helps reduce the procurement costs of medical equipment, thus lowering the overall burden of medical services, rendering a broader spectrum for patients to enjoy high-quality healthcare."

According to statistics from Wind Info, China's surgical robot market was estimated to value 12 billion yuan ($1.67 billion) by 2023.By 2026, the market is forecast to total 30 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 42.61 percent.