Tripartite Collaboration Among Research, Clinical, and Industrial Sectors: The Optimal Path for China's Medical Robotics to Achieve Leapfrog Development

The World Medical Robot Conference, hosted by the Medical Robotics Society (MRS) and organized by the ROBO Institute for Medical Robotics, was held in Shenzhen, China, on October 29, 2016. Chinese and foreign academicians unanimously agreed that collaborative efforts among research, clinical practice, and industry represent the optimal approach for China to achieve leapfrog development in the medical robotics sector.

This conference focuses on the cutting-edge medical robotics industry, with a thematic thread spanning from scientific research to clinical application, and further to market commercialization.The initiative aims to facilitate application and collaboration interfaces among scientific research, clinical practice, and industry. The conference has strategically invited researchers, clinicians, and industry representatives, including more than ten academicians and members of the clinical organizing committee. It seeks to connect and integrate the core forces in medical robotics across China and globally, fostering collaborative efforts to transform global healthcare standards through advancements in robotics and automation technologies. The conference features specialized sessions focusing on key hotspots, including surgical robots, robotic and assisted medical care, rehabilitation robots, and artificial intelligence in medical robotics.

According to data from BCG (Boston Consulting Group),As of January 2016, the global medical robotics industry achieved annual revenues of $7.47 billion, with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) projected to remain stable at 15.4% over the next five years.; it is poised to form a trillion-yuan industrial chain in the future. The field of medical robotics has long been regarded as the “crown jewel” of both the robotics sector and the medical device industry, as it demands complex, cutting-edge multidisciplinary technologies and will bring profound impact and transformation to public welfare and industry. This high-barrier, high-value domain can also be likened to the aerospace engineering of the healthcare sector.

The application of robotics and artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector has already begun, potentially exerting a fundamental impact on existing medical models and the healthcare ecosystem. Meanwhile, the deployment of intelligent robots may also fundamentally address the insufficiency and unequal distribution of medical resources, particularly high-quality ones.

It is precisely at this critical stage of industrial development that the ROBO Institute for Medical Robotics, based in Shenzhen, applied to host this conference. The Conference Chair is Professor Xu Yangsheng, President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and IEEE Fellow. The conference was jointly initiated by Professor Hannes Bleuler, Director of the Robotics Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Member of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences, and Professor Sun Lining, Director of the ROBO Institute for Medical Robotics and expert member of the National 863 Program Expert Group. The event has brought together researchers, medical professionals, and industry leaders from more than ten countries and regions, including China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Russia, to gather in Shenzhen and jointly discuss the development of this emerging industry.

In the themed session of this conference, surgical robots were highlighted as having the highest technological barriers within the field of medical robotics, owing to their stringent clinical requirements. Professor Hannes Bleuler, Director of the Robotics Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Member of the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences (SATW), and reviewer for top-tier IEEE journals, shared the latest advancements in surgical robot technology. He pointed out that single-port surgical robots represent the direction for next-generation development and clinical application; despite their technical complexity, they hold significant market potential, and surgical robots will become standard equipment in every operating room. Furthermore, the application of robotic teleoperation technology in healthcare will effectively address challenges in telemedicine, helping to reduce regional disparities in medical services between urban and rural areas.

At the World Robot Conference, rehabilitation robots have also sparked a new wave of enthusiasm. Given their substantial social significance and economic value, rehabilitation robotics has become the segment with the highest corporate participation within the medical robotics field. The conference invited leading figures in the rehabilitation sector, including Academician Li Jian’an, an International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and former President of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Mohamed Bouri, Head of the Robotics Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, presented the latest solutions for lower-limb rehabilitation robots. Professor Fan Yubo, Director of the National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids under the Ministry of Civil Affairs and former Chairman of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, also attended the conference.

Medical robots and artificial intelligence are currently the hottest sectors. According to foreign media reports, MedPeer recently conducted a survey of 3,700 physicians. The results showed that approximately 70% of physicians believe that healthcare will enter the era of AI within the next 20 years. Artificial intelligence will significantly enhance the capabilities of existing physicians, making diagnosis straightforward and accessible. Major industry giants are actively investing in medical AI. At this World Medical Robot Conference, the AI session has attracted significant attention, with Baidu Health—recently launched its Baidu Medical Brain—and IBM Watson set to deliver keynote speeches, sharing the remarkable potential of integrating healthcare with artificial intelligence.

Many attendees at the conference held the view that while there is a significant gap between China and developed countries in the pharmaceutical and traditional medical device industries—making it difficult for developing nations to catch up with the century-long accumulation and heritage of Europe and the United States—the emerging sector of medical robotics is still in its “infancy” globally, with China, the United States, and Europe all at similar starting points. Therefore, governments, particularly the Chinese government, should engage in early strategic planning and increase support for research and development in this field. This approach would enable China’s health industry to achieve leapfrog development, with medical robotics playing a pivotal role in the “Healthy China 2030” initiative.

The conference was not merely a traditional meeting; it also guided attendees through live observations of robotic surgeries. The live robotic surgery demonstrations were performed by Professor Huang Jian, President-Elect of the Urology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and Director of the Department of Urology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. This provided a rare and more intuitive opportunity to popularize new technologies within China. Following the live broadcasts, attendees were taken on a visit to the National GeneBank, which officially opened in September of this year, offering insights into the history of life and the mysteries of health. Concurrently, the conference coordinated with the China Medical Equipment Fair (CMEF), the largest medical device exhibition in the Asia-Pacific region held simultaneously in Shenzhen, by establishing related interactive sessions.

About the World Medical Robotics Society (MRS)

MRSIt is the world’s first association dedicated to the application of robotics and artificial intelligence in healthcare, jointly founded by scholars and experts in the fields of robotics and AI from the United States, Switzerland, China, the United Kingdom, France, and other countries.

MRS aims to promote academic exchange in the field of medical robotics worldwide, strengthen connections and collaboration among global research institutions, enterprises, and governments, and integrate core forces in China and beyond through education, cooperation, and resource sharing, thereby advancing research and development in medical robotics technology globally.

About the ROBO Medical Robotics Institute

ROBOThe Institute for Medical Robotics is a professional research institution dedicated to the global fields of medical robotics and artificial intelligence, jointly established by the research teams of Professor Hannes, Director of the Robotics Laboratory at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL); Professor Sun Lining, a leading expert in China’s robotics sector; and ROBO Medical.

The Institute is dedicated to scientific research and applications of robotics and artificial intelligence in the healthcare sector. Its primary research areas include minimally invasive surgical robots, diagnostic and testing robots, rehabilitation and nursing robots, the integration of AI with healthcare, the Internet of Health Things (IoHT), and medical big data.