Chinese Modular Surgical Robot Celebrates Dual Milestones: RuiLong Surgical Breaks Ground on Global Production Base and Launches RISE Center
On June 19, 2024, the RISE Ruilong International Center for Clinical Excellence was officially inaugurated in Orlando, USA. As the first international clinical research center independently established by Ruilong Surgical, the opening ceremony featured a ribbon-cutting attended by robotic surgery experts, including Professor Vipul R. Patel, Professor Eduardo Parra-Davila, and Professor Armando Melani, together with the Ruilong Surgical team.
The establishment of the RISE Ruilong International Center for Clinical Excellence marks a pivotal step in the internationalization of Ruilong Surgical. By establishing an international clinical research center, Ruilong Surgical continues its longstanding tradition of close collaboration with clinicians, deepens medical-engineering partnerships with global surgical experts, and facilitates overseas physicians—particularly those in the United States, Latin America, and Europe—in gaining insight into China’s modular surgical robotic systems and participating in product development and testing. Meanwhile, it also supports Ruilong Surgical’s flagship product, Haishan One®Paved the way for laparoscopic surgical robots to enter the international market.
Regarding the establishment of the RISE Ruilong International Center for Clinical Excellence,Dr. Ma Changzheng, Founder and CEO of Ruilong Surgical“He expressed, ‘I am extremely proud that Ruilong Surgical has a team with strong execution capabilities and sufficient innovation. In the most critical year of the company’s development, we have established a professional medical-engineering collaboration platform that facilitates trial use and exchanges for global clinical surgical experts, thereby accelerating the rapid advancement of Haishan Yi®. Through the RISE Ruilong International Center for Clinical Excellence, we will further promote technological innovation and international cooperation, making greater contributions to the development of global healthcare.’”
On July 6, 2024, the groundbreaking ceremony for Ruilong Surgery’s Global Production Base, Clinical Research Center, and Training Center was grandly held at the Port Industry Incubation Base in the Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Jiangsu Province.
Member of the Standing Committee of the Yangzhou Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Executive Vice Mayor of Yangzhou, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development ZonePan Xueyuan, former President of the China Association of Medical Equipment and current Executive Deputy Director of its Expert CommitteeZhao Zilin, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development ZoneYang Bin, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development ZoneZhang Ming, Member of the Party Working Committee of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the State-controlled GroupLi DongAttend the event.
Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association of Medical EquipmentLi Zhiyong, Chairman of the National Medical Device Industry Technology Innovation Alliance and Executive Vice President of the China Association for Medical Devices IndustryJiang Feng, General Manager of Guolian TongbaoLiu Hanhua, Executive Director at Yingce CapitalTong Maomeng, General Manager of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Investment GroupSun Xiaojun, Chairman and CEO of Ruilong SurgeryMa Changzheng, CTO and COO of Ruilong SurgicalMao Yingattend the event.
This is Ruilong Surgical’s first global production base, marking a critical step in its transition from deep-rooted product R&D to commercialization. It not only signifies a new milestone for China’s first-ever modular robotic technology but also lays a solid foundation for the future innovation and development of minimally invasive surgery.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Ma Changzheng, Chairman and CEO of Ruilong Surgery, stated: Over the past two decades, China’s hospitals have spent more than RMB 10 billion on imported surgical robots, and patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for robotic-assisted procedures have also exceeded RMB 10 billion; yet fewer than 1% of all minimally invasive surgeries annually benefit from this technology. Ruilong Surgery was founded with the mission to develop surgical robots that possess independent intellectual property rights, are tailored to China’s disease spectrum, meet the needs of Chinese surgeons, and are affordable for patients. Through medical-engineering collaboration, the company has broken through more than 2,000 patent barriers and monopolies, pioneering a modular, precise, and intelligent surgical robot system.
Ruilong Surgical has selected Yangzhou as its production base, aiming to carry forward the spirit of excellence inherent in Yangzhou’s “Three Knives” culture and forge a fourth “knife”—the robotic scalpel. Through this collaboration with the Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Ruilong Surgical will jointly establish a new benchmark for high-end intelligent medical equipment and locally driven innovation with global reach.
Dr. Ma Changzheng, Chairman and CEO of Ruilong Surgery
Pan Xueyuan, Member of the Standing Committee of the Yangzhou Municipal Party Committee, Executive Vice Mayor of Yangzhou, and Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development ZoneIt was stated that the Yangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone (ETDZ) has consistently adhered to a development strategy centered on establishing the zone through enterprises and strengthening it through projects. Closely aligning with its industrial positioning of “Three New and Three Highs,” the zone is accelerating the cultivation and expansion of emerging sectors such as new health and new energy. The commencement of the Ruilong Surgical Project exemplifies the Yangzhou ETDZ’s approach of “promoting investment attraction through capital investment” and leveraging “shareholder influence” to facilitate project settlement. With the establishment of the Ruilong Surgical Project, the big health industry portfolio in the Yangzhou ETDZ will be further diversified, enhancing innovation and influence in the medical equipment sector and attracting more health-related projects to the zone.
It is reported that the total investment in Ruilong Surgical’s global production base in Yangzhou is expected to reach RMB 300 million, aiming to build a modern industrialization base for surgical robots covering an area of over 12,000 square meters. The base will integrate manufacturing, marketing, and clinical training, and will be equipped with clean workshops, product display areas, and professional clinical training facilities, to realize Haishan One®Production of the endoscopic surgical robot system is fully accelerating Ruilong Surgical’s commercialization pace and laying the foundation for the clinical adoption of modular surgical robots.
Ruolong Surgical has selected Yangzhou as its global manufacturing base, clinical research center, and training center, primarily due to the Yangtze River Delta region’s leading position in China in the research, development, and manufacturing of robotic technologies. This region has established a comprehensive industrial chain system integrating production, sales, logistics, and other key elements. As the heartland of the Yangtze River Delta, Yangzhou not only boasts a solid industrial foundation but also attracts abundant high-end talent resources, achieving remarkable accomplishments in new health and high-end equipment manufacturing. These advantages provide a robust industrial foundation and support for Ruolong Surgical’s future development.
With the establishment of Ruilong Surgical’s global production base in Yangzhou, it is expected to foster a cluster effect for the medical device industry in Yangzhou and its surrounding regions. In this regard,Li Zhiyong, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Association of Medical EquipmentHighly commended: “As an innovation pioneer in the field of surgical robotics, Ruilong Surgery drives technological advancements and product development in the innovative track of modular surgical robots. The new base will bring together cutting-edge technologies and top-tier talent to foster technical exchange and collaboration within the industry.”Jiang Feng, Chairman of the National Medical Device Industry Technology Innovation Alliance and Executive Vice President of the China Association for Medical Devices Industryalso acknowledged: “China’s first Haishan-1®"As a high-tech innovative medical device from Ruilong Surgery, the modular surgical robot has established its production base in Yangzhou. This move enables the integration of innovation resources and the concentration of competitive strengths, thereby driving innovative development in the medical device industry and accelerating the R&D and rapid application of new products."
Since its establishment in 2019, Ruilong Surgery has remained true to its original aspiration that “innovation need not begin with imitation, and entrepreneurship should serve to benefit patients.” With the goals of responding to clinical needs and popularizing multi-specialty applications of surgical robots, the company has focused its innovation efforts on expanding coverage across multiple specialties, reducing the learning curve and operational complexity of surgical robots, and enhancing cost-effectiveness. After years of dedicated development, it has formed Haishan One®Laparoscopic Surgical Robot System, Haishan One®Endoscopic Imaging System, Haishan One®Our product portfolio, including surgical instruments, holds over 100 patent applications filed domestically and internationally. We have successfully completed clinical trials for multi-specialty, high-complexity Class IV surgeries, and are currently advancing the registration application process in a steady and orderly manner.
In June 2024, Ruilong Surgical closed a Series B financing round exceeding RMB 300 million, co-led by Wuxi Guolian and Yingce Capital, with participation from King Star Med LP and existing shareholder LongRiver Jiangyuan Investment. This marks the company’s third funding round within the past 18 months, serving as a significant boost to industry confidence amid a broader cooling of the financing environment, and fully demonstrating the market’s strong recognition of its innovative capabilities.
In the same month, Ruilong Surgical joined hands with Haishan Yi®Endoscopic Surgical Robot Debuts at SRS 2024, the Annual Meeting of the Premier International Society for Robotic Surgery. Over 50 clinicians from multiple specialties, including general surgery and urology, test-drove the Haishan-1 on site.®Conduct clinical simulation demonstrations. With its differentiated modular, dexterous, and configurable design, Haishan One boasts unique advantages of broad applicability across multiple departments and surgical procedures.®Earned unanimous acclaim from the experts present.
Looking at the current surgical robot industry both domestically and internationally, surgical robots for different procedures are emerging in large numbers, and Chinese-made surgical robots have officially entered a peak period of implementation. However, due to high prices, difficult operations, long learning curves, and limited coverage of surgical procedures, the market penetration rate of laparoscopic surgical robots in China was only 0.5% by the end of 2021. Yet, in terms of the number of surgeries performed per unit, the average annual number of surgeries per robot in China is nearly twice the global level. This indicates strong clinical demand for surgical robots in China, and this demand is likely to be met by domestic robots.
Currently, most surgical robots in the industry adopt an all-in-one design similar to that of the da Vinci system. These systems are bulky, immobile, and exhibit low space utilization. In clinical practice, surgeons can typically complete procedures using only three robotic arms, which often results in a cost inefficiency associated with the underutilized fourth arm.
Since its inception, Ruilong Surgical has immersed itself in the front lines of hospitals to understand real-world clinical practices, thoroughly identified physicians’ needs, and pioneered innovations at the source, launching the Haishan I®Modular Split-Type Surgical Robot. Hospitals Do Not Need to Expand Operating Rooms Individually, Haishan Yi®It can be flexibly adapted and configured as needed, easily moved and stored between different operating rooms, providing distinct positioning solutions for surgical arm carts tailored to various specialties and surgical procedures.
With the official establishment of this global manufacturing base, clinical research center, and training center in Yangzhou, we anticipate that Ruilong Surgical will promote the widespread adoption of surgical robot technology and accelerate the balanced development of medical specialties through its superior performance and differentiated clinical capabilities, thereby enabling more patients to benefit from advanced robotic-assisted surgery.