GaoRong Technology: Advancing Domestic Tumor Interventional Robotics with Integrated Hardware and Software Innovation

“A single tumor interventional procedure requires at least three steps: medical imaging guidance, physician interpretation of images to confirm the lesion location and plan the surgical pathway, and needle puncture of the patient’s lesion based on the operator’s own experience (blind puncture). The traditional treatment workflow is lengthy, and the procedural execution relies heavily on physicians’ experience. This not only compromises healthcare equity but also fails to ensure procedural safety and the efficacy of tumor ablation,” Dr. Peng Dening, Technical Partner at Gaorong Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Gaorong Technology”), told VCBeat.

Surgical procedures rely on a small number of experienced physicians in tertiary hospitals, and limited medical resources cannot ensure equitable access to high-quality healthcare for a broader population; during needle insertion, there is a risk of inadvertently contacting other tissues or organs, compromising safety; prolonged operative times may exacerbate staffing shortages among medical personnel; the ablative effect on tumors cannot be assessed in real time, posing a risk of residual tumor tissue in actual clinical practice.These are the four major problems that have long existed in traditional CT-guided puncture procedures.

In recent years, with the advancement of medical imaging and interventional technologies, image-guided interventional therapies characterized by minimal invasiveness, accuracy, and efficacy—such as tumor interventional medical robots and image-navigated assisted positioning puncture systems—have emerged, providing solutions to critical challenges in tumor interventional procedures. The advent of new technologies, the rise of domestic R&D capabilities, and the evolution of treatment modalities will undoubtedly make surgical operations more convenient and precise, reduce the incidence of postoperative complications, decrease the number of CT scans and radiation exposure during treatment, and shorten surgical duration.

Gaorong Technology is a high-tech enterprise that VCBeat recently learned about. Based on medical imaging-guided surgical robots, the company provides hospitals with intelligent surgical services such as preoperative planning, intraoperative navigation, and postoperative assessment, as well as comprehensive solutions for minimally invasive interventional surgeries (Internet + software).The company’s first product is a minimally invasive interventional surgical robot for oncology. Within two years of its establishment, the company rapidly achieved platformization of its artificial intelligence technology and, based on this foundation, completed multiple iterations of its surgical robot products.

Unlike common surgical robot solutions based on collaborative robotic arms, Gaorong Technology’s surgical robot possesses fully independent intellectual property rights, spanning from the robot itself to its control software and overall solution. By deeply integrating with surgical scenarios, this surgical robot can assist physicians in performing procedures with precision and speed. It not only addresses issues such as reliance on manual experience during clinical practice but also enhances surgical efficiency while reducing surgical risks.

In response, Dr. Peng Dening explained:“Our R&D approach is to integrate with the clinical scenario of percutaneous puncture procedures, and then develop software and hardware tailored to this specific context. In other words, both the robotic system and its embedded components are designed entirely around the percutaneous puncture medical scenario, with continuous iteration of both software and hardware. The software and hardware are mutually complementary and synergistic.”

Gaorong Technology identifies two major trends in surgical development: the "surgicalization" of internal medicine procedures (exemplified by tumor intervention) and the minimally invasive transformation of surgical procedures (enabled by precise positioning). Building on this insight, and centered around its self-developed AI middle platform, the company has built two core product categories—an Auxiliary Diagnosis and Treatment Planning System and a Puncture Robot System—to serve three key surgical scenarios: preoperative imaging planning, postoperative imaging assessment, and minimally invasive interventional surgery.

Traditional CT-guided interventional tumor procedures involve a sequence of steps including CT scanning, needle insertion, CT scanning, surgical manipulation, and CT scanning, with the surgical actions and CT scans needing to be performed repeatedly.Gaorong Technology achieves real-time localization, navigation, and needle insertion for biopsy/ablation procedures through its independently developed robotic positioning system and computer vision-based localization technology.

The robotic system developed by Gaorong Technology enables patients to undergo CT scanning with the robot present. During needle insertion and puncture procedures, it displays the real-time position of the needle tip, integrating this visualization into a hybrid image that combines CT scans with three-dimensional reconstruction of the lesion. This allows for precise calculation of the ablation zone and duration. Physicians can remotely control the depth and angle of needle insertion, guiding the robotic probe to perform the puncture procedure.

In October 2020, Gaorong Technology completed testing of its first-generation feature phone. After iterations, it achieved mass production of the third-generation prototype in the following year. Currently, Gaorong Technology has established collaborations with multiple well-known Grade A tertiary hospitals across China.

In the field of robotic-assisted tumor biopsy and interventional procedures, only a few companies abroad, such as XACT Robotics, are capable of providing such products. Gaorong Technology’s robotic system for tumor biopsy and interventional procedures is expected to fill the domestic gap in this area.

In addition to its surgical robot systems, Gaorong Technology has also developed supporting products such as an auxiliary diagnosis and treatment planning system, covering three major surgical scenarios: preoperative planning, intraoperative navigation, and postoperative assessment.

Typically, minimally invasive interventional procedures rely on imaging modalities to visualize the patient’s anatomical structures, employing spatial localization and navigation technologies to guide surgical instruments for targeted treatment of lesions.

Gaorong Technology’s image-guided navigation and positioning puncture system integrates imaging with navigation and positioning technologies. The assisted diagnosis and treatment planning system leverages machine learning, computer graphics algorithms, 3D rendering, and other techniques to process and analyze medical imaging data, describing and interpreting the structural morphology and spatial distribution of tissues and organs, thereby achieving intuitive and accurate 3D visualization.

The products mainly include lung CT segmentation algorithms, lung surgical planning products, and preoperative planning models.The lung CT segmentation algorithm, leveraging deep learning and traditional medical image processing algorithms, supports automatic segmentation of the trachea, bronchi, left and right lungs, five pulmonary lobes, and 18 pulmonary segments, as well as automatic segmentation of arteries and veins and automated nodule localization. The preoperative lung planning product enables 3D rendering, virtual endoscopy, surgical simulation, and surgical path optimization through path optimization functions. The preoperative planning model supports seamless import into real-time intraoperative navigation software.

Simultaneous development of software and hardware, founded in 2019, with multiple product iterations achieved in less than three years... Gaorong Technology attributes its R&D strength to its team.

The company’s founding team hails from industry-leading medical and research institutions and corporations, including the Mayo Clinic in the United States, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and General Electric (GE). Additionally, the company has established a research and development center in North America. The team combines expertise in clinical research at world-class medical institutions with practical experience in product commercialization at top-tier medical device companies. The founders’ track record includes the development of multiple FDA-cleared products, as well as numerous patents and patent applications in related fields.

The team’s understanding of percutaneous minimally invasive surgical scenarios, combined with the founding team’s prior experience in clinical practice and product commercialization, has laid a solid foundation for the company’s technological roadmap and product development strategy. Meanwhile, the clinical and academic research background of Gaorong Technology’s R&D team enables the company to steadily iterate its products.

In response, Dr. Peng Dening stated“The Gaorong Technology team demonstrates exceptional execution capabilities, which I consider truly remarkable. We all enjoy the collaborative process of developing software and hardware products, and this has significantly boosted the entire team’s morale.”

Since the General Office of the State Council issued Made in China 2025 in 2015, proposing to enhance the innovation capability and industrialization level of medical devices, with a focus on developing high-performance diagnostic and therapeutic equipment such as imaging systems and medical robots, high-value medical consumables like fully bioresorbable vascular stents, and mobile healthcare products including wearable devices and remote diagnosis and treatment solutions. To the present day, when the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released the draft for comments on the Development Plan for the Medical Equipment Industry (2021–2025), encouraging the standardized application of surgical robots in the treatment of major diseases. Furthermore, policies have been introduced to include surgical robots in medical insurance coverage to effectively address affordability issues. It is evident that the opportunity for the development of surgical robots has arrived.

According to Frost & Sullivan data, the market size for percutaneous surgical robots was RMB 140 million in 2020 and is projected to reach RMB 1.71 billion by 2026, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.9% from 2016 to 2026.

Regarding the future, Dr. Peng Dening discussed“We are building a medical service platform. Beyond surgical robots, we will provide an integrated, closed-loop service for patients and hospitals centered on imaging-guided minimally invasive surgical scenarios, encompassing preoperative planning, intraoperative navigation, and postoperative assessment.”

Seizing the opportunity, Gaorong Technology is focusing on minimally invasive surgical scenarios to develop surgical robot systems guided by medical imaging.