Medical Robotics: Applying Robots In The Medical Field
If we pick a field that is not related to technology but still gets most affected by its advancement, then the name that comes up first is healthcare. Medicine is growing increasingly and trying to tackle extreme diseases and issues with considerable advancement in medical studies, and directly depends on the advancement of technology related to medical robotics. The development of medical machines such as medical procedure machines, surgery equipment, ventilations, and medical test machines makes it possible for doctors to develop new methods to precisely analyze and save more human lives.
Robotics in medicine has always played a critical role. With smart medical devices being the new buzzword in the healthcare industry, researchers are trying to merge robotics with medicine to enhance accuracy and treatment methods. Medical robotic companies are investing their time in developing robots that can perform surgeries on a patient with maximum allowable accuracy. Robots that can operate and perform surgeries or medical tests may reduce casualties due to human errors. However, this development will only improve the functioning of existing processes, with the need for doctors and healthcare professionals to guide and provide inputs to robots to perform the procedure correctly.
The first medical robots began to appear in the 1980s, offering surgical help with robotic arm technology. Over time, computer vision and data analytics powered by artificial intelligence (AI) have altered medical robotics and significantly increased the performance of these mechanical medicos in various healthcare settings. To maximize the assistance to medical staff and improve patient care, medical robots are being deployed in clinical settings in addition to operating rooms. For example, to assist in decreasing exposure to viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and clinics deployed robots for a more experimental and comprehensive range of jobs.
How are robots used in the medical field?
Robotic surgery was first used in a reported procedure in 1985. This was when a delicate neurosurgery biopsy was performed using the PUMA 560 robotic surgical arm during a non-laparoscopic procedure. When employed in minimally invasive operations like laparoscopies, which commonly use flexible fiber optic cameras, the robotic system enables successful robotic surgery and the possibility for increased precision.
The first laparoscopic robotic surgery, a cholecystectomy, was performed in 1987, owing to the success of the robotic surgery performed in 1985. The same PUMA system was employed the following year to complete a transurethral resection in robotic surgery. The first system authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for endoscopic surgery was the AESOP system created by Computer Motion in 1990.
The da Vinci Surgery System made history in 2000 when it became the first robotic surgery system to be FDA-approved for general laparoscopic surgery. Before this event, the FDA had never authorized a comprehensive set of surgical tools and camera/scope equipment.
Its forerunners depended on endoscopes and many surgical helpers to carry out operations. The three-dimensional magnification screen on the da Vinci medical robot surgery system gives physicians a clear, high-resolution picture of the surgical site without involving many medical staff.
Types of Medical Robots
Based on the applicability in different scenarios, medical robots can be broadly classified by the following categories-
Some Popular Robots in Medical Field
The da Vinci Medical Robot
The da Vinci medical robot allows surgeons greater accuracy and control for various surgeries. The da Vinci System creates tiny, precise incisions that human hands may not otherwise be able to perform using magnified 3D high-definition vision and controls that strap to a surgeon's wrists and hands. This tool gives doctors more control, and because the procedure is less intrusive than conventional surgery, patients recover more quickly.
The Xenex Germ-Zapping Robot
An automated and transportable robot called the Xenex uses pulsed, full-spectrum UV radiation to disinfect hospital rooms quickly by killing infectious microorganisms. It is intended to decrease HAIs by eradicating their causative germs, which can be particularly hard to treat and are known to cause illnesses like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The PARO Therapeutic Robot
It has been demonstrated that PARO can ease patients' anxiety and reduce tension in elderly people with dementia. The fuzzy PARO can answer to its name, likes to be caressed, and, thanks to its recollection of prior contacts, develops a distinctive, endearing personality over time. For its owner specifically, PARO also sleeps, blinks, wiggles its flippers, and makes amusing noises.
Patent Landscape of Medical Robots Market
The patent filing in medical robotics, which includes only alive (i.e., granted, and pending) patents, presents a landscape of filed patents related to medical robotics over the last twenty years:
Figure 1: Rising trend of patent applications over the years
Figure 2: Top patent assignees in medical robotics
Figure 1 shows the number of patents filed in the respective years. As we can see, the most significant number of patents were filed in 2022, followed by 2021 and 2023. Figure 2 shows the medical robot companies with the most significant number of patents related to medical robotics. Shanghai Microport Medbot, Intuitive Surgical Operations, and Globus Medical are some of the big names with the highest number of patents.
Figure 3: Patent distribution across jurisdictions
In terms of jurisdictions- China, the US, and Europe are the regions that hold the most patents. All these stats indicate that significant medical robot companies and researchers are interested in medical robotics and developing new methods to boost the medical robots market.
Will robots take over the medical field?
Researchers are heavily invested in developing medical robots that can perform surgery with zero error rate. Technological development might lead studies to create fully autonomous medical robots requiring nearly minimal human intervention. These autonomous robots will be equipped to operate, handle medical procedures, and care for patients. The development of medical robots will change the medical field and help doctors save critical patients.
This era is seeing robots increasing the distance between doctors and patients and making the process less invasive to make it safe for doctors and patients. The autonomous robot is now a hypothesis that, when implemented, will potentially alter how healthcare is seen today. A self-operated robot that can make decisions by itself shows promise to be achievable in the future, as researchers can already develop a fully autonomous hand that can operate and perform surgeries. However, these medical robots will need input from healthcare experts at regular intervals for proper functioning.
The growing inventions and development will lead to the development of medical robotics. Medical robotics can be one such field that can alter human life or, to be precise, human death. The proper advancement may create robots capable of saving lives that current equipment cannot. The analysis shows the ongoing development in research and ensures that researchers and medical robot companies are interested in developing medical robotics for the betterment of human beings.
Disclaimer: This report is based on information that is publicly available and is considered to be reliable. However, Lumenci cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or reliability of this data.
Disclaimer: This report is based on information that is publicly available and is considered to be reliable. However, Lumenci cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or reliability of this data.
Rohan Kumar
Senior Associate Consultant at Lumenci
Rohan has experience in the IP domain and worked on multiple service lines, including Patent monetization, Portfolio Analysis, Infringement Analysis, OTT, Technical Analysis, EoU/Claim Charts, Sensors, Electronics, semiconductor fields, etc. Rohan is a Master of Technology in Sensor and IoT from the IIT Jodhpur, India.