Another Milestone in Remote Surgery: 5G-Powered Domestic Surgical Robot Gains Traction Amid IPO Filing

Recently,Professor Wang Linhui, Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical UniversityLeveraging 5G network technology, the team successfully performed a surgical procedure on a patient at a hospital located on an island reef more than 2,400 kilometers away.Single-Port Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Left Renal Cyst Decortication and Decompression。

It is worth noting that,The single-port robot-assisted laparoscopic system used by the team was jointly developed by Professor Wang Linhui and engineering researchers., it is the first professional single-port surgical robot in China with complete independent intellectual property rights and full-chain core key technologies, approved for urological surgical indications.

According to public information, the surgical robot co-developed by Professor Wang Linhui features advantages such as single-port ultra-minimally invasive access, flexible and powerful manipulation, a wide range of visual field adjustment, and safe collaborative movement of the positioning arm. It is currentlyChina's First, the World's Second Single-Port Endoscopic Surgical System Currently on the MarketSystem。

As the first manufacturer to launch laparoscopic surgical robots, Intuitive Surgical holds significant advantages in terms of consumable variety, specifications, and actual product performance, maintaining its leadership position in this field.Its flagship product, “Da Vinci,” is the only foreign-branded surgical robot approved by the NMPA and marketed in China.

In addition to Intuitive Surgical, several other overseas companies have also had their related products approved. Taking surgical robotic systems with four or more arms as an example, around 2021MedtronicHugo RAS has been approved for marketing in the European Union, Canada, and Japan, and an application was submitted to the FDA in 2023.Meere companyRevo-I was even approved for marketing in the United States and South Korea as early as 2017. In recent years, there have also beenCMR Surgical、Medicaroid、Asensusdevices have all been approved overseas, but none have received NMPA approval.

Meanwhile, domestic companies have also seen their products approved one after another, such asMinimally Invasive RoboticsTuMai No. 1,Jingfeng MedicalThe MP1000 received approval from the NMPA in 2022, but as of January 2024, neither product has achieved large-scale commercialization. Among domestic surgical robot manufacturers, onlyShurui Single-Port Laparoscopic Surgical RobotThe market-oriented process has been launched, and it has been promoted and applied in more than 30 hospitals across China.

In addition to approved products, there are also in ChinaWeigao, Hangzhou Miaoshou Robotics, Shanghai Anhan Medicalsuch as companies, are advancing the R&D of domestically produced surgical robots, with their application scenarios expanding from traditional urology to orthopedics, cardiac surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, general surgery, and more.

As the application scenarios for surgical robots continue to expand, clinical practice has placed greater demands on these systems, such as enhanced operational performance, the ability to meet the needs of multiple medical specialties, and the capacity to address personalized disease management. Therefore, surgical robots are also evolving towardHigher Precision, Greater Flexibility, More Personalization Optionsdirection.

Many innovative companies, including established surgical robot manufacturers, are moving in this direction. For instance, Smith+Nephew launched the CORI handheld robotic system in 2021 for use in total and partial knee replacement surgeries. In addition to offering advantages such as faster setup and greater manipulator stability, the device is compact and highly portable, facilitating its use across different operating rooms.

Innovations Combined with 5G Technology, is a major feature of domestically produced surgical robots.

As early as 2018,Professor Liu Rong, First Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General HospitalLeveraging 5G technology to perform a hepatic lobule resection on an experimental pig located 50 kilometers away, completing theWorld's First 5G Remote Surgery Test. In 2020,Professor Niu Haitao, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao UniversityLed the surgical team in successfully performing a urological procedure assisted by a 5G-enabled, domestically developed original surgical robot, carrying out a radical cystectomy on a patient. In 2023,Professor Liang Xiao, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University, performed a cholecystectomy on a patient at Alar Hospital, achievingThe World’s First Robot-Assisted Ultra-Remote 5G Hepatobiliary Surgery。

Behind these 5G surgeries are domestically produced surgical robots.Professor Liu Rong utilized a remote 5G surgical system independently developed by his team over seven years, while Professor Niuhaitao employed the Weigao “Miaoshou” surgical robot. Professor Wang Linhui’s recent remote surgery was also performed using a domestically produced surgical robot.

Amid rising demand for telemedicine, domestically produced 5G surgical robots have demonstrated significant potential and value. 5G technology will not only serve as a major competitive advantage for Chinese-made surgical robots but can also be utilized in the future forRemote Teaching Demonstrations, Remote Surgical Guidance, facilitating the decentralization of medical resources and providing robust support for healthcare development.