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Senior Business Director of Medtronic Intelligent Devices and Neurosurgery DivisionLin Mao

Surgical robots, recognized as a golden track globally, have also ushered in a rapid development phase in China's surgical robot industry in recent years. According to relevant data statistics, it is projected that by 2030, the market size of China's surgical robots will exceed 70 billion RMB. Coupled with China's large population base, it is anticipated that surgical robots will become one of the new growth points in China's medical device market.

Lin Mao said:"Medtronic remains firmly optimistic about China's surgical robotics sector and will continue to invest."We believe that under the current market conditions of high demand and rapid growth, coupled with the integration of big data and artificial intelligence technologies, China is expected to become the world's largest application market for surgical robots in the future."

In fact, to encourage the development of China's domestic medical robotics industry chain, national policies have been continuously strengthened in recent years, with the consecutive release of the "High-Quality Development Action Plan for Medical Equipment Industry (2023-2025)," the "14th Five-Year Plan for Medical Equipment Industry Development," and the "14th Five-Year”Robot Industry Development Plan." In October, Shanghai officially issued the "Action Plan for Promoting the Development of Medical Robot Industry (2023-2025)", striving to become the birthplace of technological innovation, the gathering place for high-end manufacturing, and the demonstration site for collaborative application of medical robots in China by 2025.

As one of the earliest enterprises to layout surgical robots globally,Medtronic has continuously introduced two cutting-edge surgical robot products in the fields of orthopedics and neurosurgery over the past two years."We are highly regarded at the CIIEMazor X™ and Stealth Autoguide™, benefiting from the spillover effects of CIIE, are being rapidly implemented in clinical settings."This allows us to truly feel the urgent clinical needs arising from the improved surgical outcomes brought by robot-assisted surgeries for both doctors and patients," said Lin Mao.

Among them, Medtronic's globally top-tier spinal surgery robotMazor X™ was approved for marketing in China in April 2021.Its advanced international technology and cutting-edge concepts in robot-assisted surgery have been introduced into the Chinese market, playing an irreplaceable role in the entire industry.

When mentioning the clinical feedback of the Mazor X™ surgical robot over the past year or so, Lin Mao said, "Mazor X™ Surgical Robot Has Received Consistent Acclaim from the Market and Clinics.It can be said with pride that Medtronic has consistently maintained a very strong technological advantage and continued to focus on cutting-edge technologies and products." With Medtronic's advanced surgical planning system and artificial intelligence systems powered by higher algorithms,Mazor X™ can truly achieve full coverage of all surgical procedures and the entire process.；Even in complex and highly challenging cervical spine surgeries, the Mazor X™ has been clinically validated, making it the only robotic system in China's current market that truly covers all spinal segments.It is reported that,The soon-to-be-launched Mazor X™ Eagle Spine Surgical Robotic Platform is also the only orthopedic robot currently on the market that can handle soft tissue in addition to bony structures during surgery.

As a pioneer and leader in robotic-assisted surgery, Medtronic not only continuously introduces and iterates on its existing leading technologies and products but also accelerates the deployment of its robotics sector in China. According to reports,China Edition Mazor X™—The prototype of Mazor™ XC was launched in the first half of this year and is expected to truly enter the Chinese market by the end of next year.At the same time, a new version of the next-generation robotic system developed in China will be launched within the next two to three years.

“Mazor X™ is currently the world's leading orthopedic surgical robot, and the domestically produced version is based on the localization of Mazor X™."But we will still iterate quickly," said Lin Mao."Future,We hope to base on the needs of the Chinese market, combine the wisdom of Chinese doctors with the capabilities of Chinese entrepreneurs and developers,Develop surgical robots that are more innovative, more advanced, and better suited to the needs of Chinese patients. Therefore, our localized products will surpass their predecessors.。”

As we all know, surgeries in the fields of orthopedics and neurosurgery are often described as "dancing on the tip of a knife" and "the forbidden zone of surgery." Lin Mao believes,"Spine and neurosurgeons in China are among the most experienced or technically skilled in the world, and at the same time, they have higher demands for technology, products, and equipment."

In essence, on the one hand, the operational space for human craniocerebral surgery is extremely narrow, with complex neuroanatomy, delicate structures in critical tissue areas, and vital functions. The spine is also surrounded by intricate nerves and blood vessels, demanding extremely high precision in surgery. On the other hand, traditional orthopedic and neurosurgical procedures heavily rely on a surgeon's experience, where even slight errors during the operation can damage the spinal cord or nerves.

Based on the development requirements of the industry chain, the starting point is to meet the needs, and promote innovation to serve clinical practices and patients. Therefore, as part of clinical surgery, robot-assisted technology plays a role in the pursuit of minimally invasive and standardized progress in surgical development.How to enable robots to achieve more precise positioning and how to collaborate with other equipment and technologies during surgery to enhance surgical outcomes have become focal points of attention in the industry.

The launch of Medtronic's AiBLE™ Digital Ecosystem Concept is an answer derived from these considerations.

It is reported that the AiBLE™ Digital Ecosystem includes an integrated digital solution for orthopedics and an integrated digital solution for neurosurgery. Based on an integrated platform,Linked by big data and empowered by AI, different treatment devices can achieve synergistic benefits and full data exchange, leading the industry into a digital and intelligent era of whole-process disease management.

AiBLE™ Integrated Neurosurgery Solution

AiBLE™ Intelligent Orthopedics Integrated Solution

"All previous devices and treatment methods only represent a single step in the surgical process, while an integrated solution can seamlessly consolidate them."Solve the 'data silo' problem, and help surgeons improve surgical efficiency."Lin Mao added,"Medtronic has a very comprehensive product line in spinal surgery and neurosurgery, including the largest surgical robot, small electric drills used during operations, and implantable medical consumables. This is why Medtronic has the 'confidence' to propose such an idea in the industry."

Based on the integration of digital and intelligent technologies, the most important goal is to achieve visibility and minimally invasiveness in clinical surgeries, allowing doctors to better observe the path and field of their surgical operations, thereby reducing the possibility of injury and complications, accelerating patient recovery, and enabling a quicker return to a healthy life. Additionally, due to differences in experience and surgical habits among doctors in the past, "standardized surgeries" were difficult to achieve. However, thanks to surgical robots, higher precision can be achieved while also realizing standardization.

"No matter what the concept or product is, the ultimate goal is to benefit clinical practice and patients." Lin Mao emphasized, "Although everyone pays close attention to the development of surgical robots, they are not an independently existing part of clinical surgery. The industry should focus more on the entire surgical process and the coordinated development of all technologies—this is the future of robotic surgery.。”

At the CIIE,Medtronic and Esaote have reached a strategic agreement to integrate the AiBLE™ Neurosurgical Product Portfolio with its intraoperative imaging solutions, aiming to better empower clinicians throughout the entire process.This is also the essence of the AiBLE™ Digital Intelligence Ecosystem, which not only encompasses Medtronic's product ecosystem but also extends to services, industry-academia-research collaboration, and industry partnerships, forming a multi-dimensional and innovative composite ecosystem.

"Local innovation is a part that the national strategy also pays close attention to, and it's a direction we are actively promoting," said Lin Mao."Medtronic has the advantage first, the determination second, and specific implementation measures third."

In the first half of this year,Medtronic Kanghui Changzhou Science and Technology Park, which integrates production, R&D, incubation, and even customer experience, has officially broken ground.With the rollout of the China-version Mazor—Mazor™ XC engineering prototype, Medtronic has demonstrated its capability to not only continuously provide localized high-value consumables but also possess the key ability to research, develop, and produce advanced intelligent equipment.

In addition, aiming to fully leverage Medtronic Kanghui's industry experience and global resources as well as the professional capabilities of the Science Park,Medtronic Builds an Innovative Incubator Focused on Orthopedics and Neurosurgery，Provide one-stop incubation services for startups and innovation projects, including policy support, capital assistance, business services, R&D consulting, and ecosystem resources, to accelerate innovation and transformation in the orthopedics and neurosurgery fields.

July,Medtronic Signs Comprehensive Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation Agreement with Huashan Hospital, National Neurological Medical Center, Aiming to Build an Innovative Platform for the Integration of Neurosurgery Industry and Medicine.Moreover, Medtronic has currently achieved the actual implementation of industry-academia-research results. In October,Medtronic and Jishuitan Hospital Sign Cooperation Agreement on Co-Developed "Postero-Lateral Tibial Plateau Plating and Screw System" to Further Advance Its Industrialization，and as the subsequent deepening of the cooperation between the two parties, this local innovation achievement is expected to be extended to the global market, benefiting patients worldwide with Chinese solutions.

As a pioneer in building the ecosystem, when talking about future strategic layout, Lin Mao responded: "Medtronic always follows the high-quality development direction of national policies and closely grasps the major trends in industry development. Building a complete local innovation ecosystem is our top priority strategy.In the future, we will focus on efforts in the layout of China-produced products, the transfer of production lines, and enhancing local independent innovation capabilities.”

It is worth mentioning that,Medtronic's transfer of its surgical robot production line to China is not simply a matter of moving the production line from the United States to China.More importantly, after the production line transfer, relying on the Medtronic Kanghui Changzhou Science and Technology Park,With the world's top equipment production capabilities, based on the local demands of the Chinese market, cutting-edge products and solutions are "customized" for China.

Lin Mao summarized: "Surgical robots are an important carrier of digital and intelligent surgical procedures, as well as a key component of Medtronic's localization strategy in China.Our top priority in production and R&D is to meet the clinical and patient needs of the Chinese market. Moving forward, we will actively align with the national "Belt and Road" policy."We hope to establish in China, benefit China, and further advantage the globe, promoting Chinese solutions with local characteristics overseas."

——

Currently, China is becoming a significant source of global medical technology innovation. As a top global medical technology enterprise, Medtronic has continuously leveraged the China International Import Expo (CIIE) for six years to bring its globally innovative products and technologies to China. Meanwhile, based on China's localized innovation ecosystem, Medtronic not only introduces international advanced technologies but also explores more innovative solutions originating from China, benefiting more patients in China.

So, how will Medtronic continue to deeply integrate into local innovation in China and actively expand its "local circle of partners"? How will Medtronic continue to lead the innovative development of surgical robots and promote technological advancements in their clinical application? We will continue to follow and report on these developments.

END

 

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