Medical network on April 13 - need complex multidisciplinary advanced technology, can bring huge impact to people's livelihood, industrial and change... Medical robots field of the high threshold, high value industry called "medical apparatus and instruments in the field of aerospace engineering. 

 

The economic information daily, the reporter learned that, broad prospects for medical robot, has covered surgery, rehabilitation, nursing, teaching and other fields, including surgical robot accounted for the highest. At present, foreign medical robots are break into the Chinese market, some domestic enterprises to research and develop the medical robots have also been layout. 

 

Industry experts believe that in medical robots that emerging industry, at present, the United States and in Europe are in a "infancy", the government can enhance the support for research and development, in order to realize China's health industry corner overtaking. 

 

On a global scale is expected to be $11.4 billion 

 

Medical robot is a kind of intelligent service robot, sort is more, according to its usage is different, can be divided into clinical medical use robots (including diagnosis and treatment of surgical robots and robot), medical, nursing, rehabilitation robots, robot teaching robot to patient robot, carrying medicine robot, etc. 

 

Research has found that surgical robots and applied to the rehabilitation nursing, the prosthetic rehabilitation robot is a bigger market potential. 

 

According to BCG Boston consulting, as of January 2016, the global medical robots industry revenue reached $7.47 billion a year, in the next 5 can annual compound growth rate steady at 15.4%, to 2020, the scale of global medical robots is expected to reach $11.4 billion. Among them, the surgical robot accounted for about 60% market share. 

 

Reported that the north American market for the largest market, the government health investment increase due to Asian countries, medical system restructuring and the awareness of minimally invasive surgery to strengthen, the future market focus will gradually shift to Asia. 

 

In the surgical robot, laparoscopic robot is a kind of the most popular and widely used, mainly in the urology clinical application, cardiothoracic surgery, gynecology and other fields. In 2001 by the Intuitive medical equipment company (Intuitive Surgical) design, production and sales of leonardo Da Vinci (DaVinci) Surgical robot system is a representative of the laparoscopic robot, is now a few to the commercialization of Surgical robot system, the most widely application scope. 

 

Foreign break into the Chinese market 

 

Sun yat-sen university, sun yat-sen memorial hospital uropoiesis surgical department, the Chinese medical association, director of urology surgery branch committee, director of the incoming Huang Jian using surgical robot has done a lot of bladder surgery. Leonardo Da Vinci robots, he said, booming in our country, as of October 28, 2016, China completed surgery in 35273 cases, more than 2/5 of urology surgery. 

 

Shanghai fosun pharmaceutical holdings subsidiary u.s.-china mutually beneficial medical co., LTD., is the intuitive medical instrument company leonardo Da Vinci surgical system distribution partner in China. 

 

Says Rudy chan, chairman of Shanghai fosun pharmaceutical, although now in mainland China and Hong Kong a total of only 69 machine configuration, the global share of only 2%, but most of China's configuration of the machine utilization, perform surgery pounced just ahead of the world. In mainland China in 2015 the effective use of leonardo Da Vinci robot is less than 40 units, but the total for 200 machines perform as Japan for combined. Only this month in November 2016, leonardo Da Vinci robots in mainland China were done surgery in 2017 cases, surgery sets the world's leading. 

 

Leonardo Da Vinci surgical robot is accelerating swarmed into China. Intuitive medical equipment companies in the United States announced in December 2016, in collaboration with Shanghai fosun pharmaceutical, set up r&d and manufacturing center in China for the first time, looking forward to long rooted in the Chinese market. 

 

Intuitive medical equipment companies in the United States, President and chief executive Gary Guthart said: "the Chinese market for interest and the demand of the surgical robot is very big, China's service efficiency of leonardo Da Vinci surgical robot is among the highest in the world. The main limiting factors for buying machines throughout the approval process is slow." 

 

Huang Jian introduction, from the current clinical use feedback, leonardo Da Vinci robots also exist some shortcomings. Clinicians generally feedback for a long time, for example, use of visual fatigue. In addition, it is just a mechanical arm, no touch, is unable to distinguish between normal tissue or cancer. Is the most important thing is the separation of operation and the patient, assistant, the remote control operation better applied in the field of military, aerospace, at ordinary times do surgery, one thousand broken network operation, but is a risk. 

 

Reporters learned that the introduction of domestic hospital surgery robot mentality is complex, some hospitals more weight is given to the "halo effect". 

 

The expert inside course of study introduces, the Da Vinci system price in 20 million yuan, and each system average annual service after sales/consumable fee is $100000 to $200000. Using the Da Vinci system itself, therefore, is not can bring additional benefits to the hospital. 

 

Hospital enthusiasm for Da Vinci system is mainly due to the attached "halo effect" : one is to attract patients. Leonardo Da Vinci robots have become the symbol of "high-end advanced medical equipment", "taste" of the resulting effect and the resulting source, not only can make up for the introduction of the cost of the instrument, but also for hospital revenue. The second is to attract a doctor. Leonardo Da Vinci system for engineering design, can alleviate the surgeon fatigue, reduce the occurrence of occupational diseases. Surgeons is the primary source of hospital economic income, can meet the needs of the doctor's surgery, and hospital purchase one of leonardo Da Vinci's power. 

 

Still in the stage of "baby" 

 

With the use of artificial intelligence in the field of medical treatment, diagnosis and treatment of medical robot is expected to become stewards of real-time health can "think". 

 

"Network hospitals of guangdong province" in guangzhou zhuhai, research and development of medical bot, is working with a simulation of the "head" female patients dialogue: 

 

"In general, more than 39 degrees Celsius for high fever, fever is self-preservation and a response to fight off infection. Your situation is in line with the above description?" "If you have several of the following symptoms?" "An emergency, please immediately go to the emergency. These symptoms may be a manifestation of acute meningitis..." 

 

Expert introduction, the future role of artificial intelligence is not limited to help diagnose and provides treatment plan. 

 

According to IBM (IBM Watson, Watson) oncologists Chinese operators cognitive care chief operating officer Wang Taifeng introduction, with ever increasing cognitive capacity, Watson will be help doctors clinical decision and powerful helpers treatment advice is given. 

 

"A year in 2015, published in high-quality journals of the world's medical literature, tumor alone has 44000. If a tumor doctor will comprehensively study the latest treatments, distributed all over the world need to spend a day on average 160 hours to finish reading. This is the impossible, but this is precisely what the strengths of artificial intelligence. In the future, the robot through continuous deep learning, can give the human most diseases diagnosis and treatment plan." Wang Taifeng said. 

 

According to divulging, at present, the IBM Watson tumor robot already in 23 hospitals in China, and plans to charge for the service, this is the world's first into the intelligence of clinical doctors. But it is not to replace the doctor Watson's location, because it is no way to create knowledge. 

 

In reality, medical robot of artificial intelligence is still in the stage of "baby". 

 

Network of guangdong province hospital Zhou Jiru says the "baby" growth need to eat more things, is the deep learning: one is medical textbooks, in view of the clinical pathway specific diseases; The second is a large amount of data of evidence-based medicine; Three is a lot of frontier medical paper data, which is equivalent to the global expert consultation; Four cases is a teaching hospital. "Clean data is very important, must go through strict screening. Cannot be excessive medical cases, to keep out of the patient's privacy." 

 

Domestic enterprises to speed up the pace of development 

 

The number of domestic medical robots. Some medical robots on behalf of the enterprise such as Harbin bo real companies such as robots, chongqing jinshan, hand surgery robot has entered the stage of development or clinical trials. 

 

Bo real stake is Harbin institute of robotics institute industrialization base, Harbin institute of technology industrialization of robot platform. According to institute of Harbin institute of robot research and development personnel, domestic of minimally invasive celiac surgery robot system with independent intellectual property rights in our country, the researchers in a variety of operation of minimally invasive surgery, the surgical robot system of mechanical design, master-slave control algorithm and three-dimensional (3 d) on the key technology such as laparoscopic and system integration has made important breakthroughs, and applied for many national invention patent. But the overall level of development compared with the international and a certain distance, clinical go up enough to shake the status of the imported equipment. 

 

By provinces, cities and the school to build the Harbin institute of technology of robot group was established in early 2015, concentration of the Harbin institute of technology in the intelligent equipment in the field of high-end technology. 

 

The group vice President, chief technology officer play Lin said: "China's development of medical robot industry advantage lies in talents, technology and the rapid development of industry related disciplines and the huge domestic market demand, but in terms of conversion and market development overall behind the international level." 

 

In April 2014, central south university xiangya third hospital successfully completed the 3 cases of domestic robot operation, this is our self-developed surgical robotic system for the first time applied to clinical. Using surgical robotic system was developed by tianjin university, central south university joint research and development. 

 

Should seize the opportunity in advance planning 

 

The national "ten thousand project" talents Sun Lining, says professor in traditional medicines and equipment industry, the domestic and foreign gap is bigger, developing countries are difficult to catch up with Europe and the United States hundreds of years of accumulation and precipitation. But in medical robots that emerging industry, at present, the United States and in Europe are in a "infancy", the Chinese government should advance planning, strengthening the support for research and development, in order to realize China's health industry corner overtaking, power "healthy China 2030" grand goal to achieve. 

 

The personage inside course of study thinks, in the field of rehabilitation robots such as segmentation, China can have their own space for development. 

 

"Compared with the surgical robot, rehabilitation robots at home and abroad market has just started, especially in the" baby ", is a sunrise industry, foreign also no obvious advantage, is that we can go a long way, beyond the field." Play that Lin, will tell from the industry, everyone in the same starting line. 

 

Play Lin that medical robot is the development direction of our medical care tools and instruments, drive the main factors of the development of the demand for all kinds of disease diagnosis and treatment of high-end technology, aging of old, the assistance and care social pressure and led to the contradiction between supply and demand of high quality staff. 

 

On the demand of rehabilitation robots, the large group of the disabled and elderly, rehabilitation doctor accounted for the proportion of population base is about 1.7/100000, and the data in the developed countries reached 30-70/100000, rehabilitation professionals there is a huge gap in our country. 

 

"In the field of rehabilitation robots, it is expected to appear explosive growth over the next three years." Play Lin said. 

 

To avoid "low-end capacity" redundant construction 

 

The expert inside course of study thinks, should seize the moment and focus on scientific research resources, refining the existing industrial robot research direction. 

 

Play Lin said, issued in the state 2025 plan of manufacturing in China, is a focus on the development of industry robot industry. However, due to the entire medical robot industry threshold is higher, has very high technical requirements, at the same time, under the existing medical registration certification system in China, cycle is long, huge capital investment, for the enterprise, have a higher risk. To research medical robots, need to focus on research and development planning study unit one kind of medical robots. 

 

What are the core areas of the need for scientific research? The Swiss federal institute of technology academy of sciences, lausanne, Switzerland, director of the robotics lab Hannes Bleuler professors and robot domestic enterprises some developers think that reducer, servo motor is still restricted key technology become the shackles of robot. In addition, the difficulty big, big market potential and a single robot is the next generation of surgery robot development and clinical application. 

 

At the same time, the standard of medical robots are yet to be established, in order to avoid "low-end capacity" redundant construction. 

 

Industrial robots have international standards, national standards, industry standards. Medical robot industry standards or blank. Industry suggested that the next two to three years, guided by research institutions, medical institutions, standards committee, industry associations, such as lead, supplemented by universities, research institutes, formed some common criteria, such as robot to meet what features and security conditions, not "the nerve restored, but broke the joints". Medical robot application security, ethical, security also nots allow to ignore. 

 

Network of guangdong province hospital Zhou Jiru Suggestions, the development of medical robots should avoid "rush", makes "low-end capacity" repetition, excess. Key for the government to support with the core technology, high-end products enterprises. 

 

In addition, still need to get through the upstream and downstream industry chain, avoid the embarrassment of "have to go on, doesn't". 

 

The personage inside course of study thinks, the robot ontology is a master automation technology in the robot industry chain on the strongest bargaining power, and can effectively integrate the upstream parts enterprises and downstream system integrators. On the one hand to release energy in our country, through "research and development institutions, enterprises, market chain", the research of core technology, and to encourage and foster product supporting service development based on the robot, so as to guide, reversed transmission existing robot classification don't development enterprises. 

 

Industry advice follow Europe and the United States, Japan and other countries, to use the local robot manufacturer product units, institutions, and individuals provide "subsidy", avoid because of only focusing on high-end technology, ignoring the market application "lonely at the top", product homogeneity, shrinking market, industry discontinuity.