The Medical Field Is Changing Dramatically, And Surgical Robot Suppliers Are Moving Into A New Field

The accelerated integration of digital technology and medical industry has continuously promoted the reform and development of medical industry. In recent years, with the aging of the global population, the continuous improvement of minimally invasive and precision requirements for surgery, as well as the progress of digital and automation technology, the surgical robot market has ushered in rapid development. At the same time, the supporting supply of surgical robots has also been driven up, keeping up with the pace of development.

Surgical robot is one of the representative works of innovation in the medical field in the digital age. Surgical robot is a kind of innovative medical instrument integrating multiple disciplines. It is not only the derivative of scalpel, but also a powerful intelligent tool, which constitutes an important part of intelligent medical treatment. However, the research and development work of surgical robot is not simple. From drawings to prototypes, it needs to go through countless iterations and verification of versions, so as to ensure the accuracy, stability and endurance of the robot. It also needs to have a more strict eye on the mechanical parts, electronic components and software algorithms of the surgical robot. 

2021 is the first year of the development of endoscopic surgery robots in China. In this year, minimally invasive medical technology was listed and became the first endoscopic surgical robot. Weigao surgical robot became the first approved endoscopic surgical robot in China and was officially registered and listed. Companies that develop surgical robots, such as Zhuorui, Jingfeng and Kondo, are also conducting clinical trials of their products. China has entered a period of explosive growth of domestic surgical robots. It is estimated that by 2025, China's surgical robot market will exceed 100 billion.

Meanwhile, companies that provide vision or control systems for surgical robots are jumping on the bandwagon. As a leading global supplier of motion systems and components, Kollmorgen is constantly improving its products to make them more suitable for all kinds of robots.

Kollmorgen provides complete low voltage torque motor solutions for surgical robots. These torque motors have the characteristics of small size, large caliber, large output, low alveolar effect and so on. They can ensure that the output torque is large enough under the strict volume requirements, and the compact design of hollow routing such as the robot arm can be realized. The structure has the characteristics of no back backlash and low flexibility, and brings better sensitivity to the surgical robot. The high stability of the motor also ensures that the robotic system can withstand long-term testing and clinical validation, so it is widely favored by customers.

In order to minimize trauma and find a more appropriate camera Angle for the instrument, the robotic arms should be as close to each other as possible. Kollmorgen also provides a solution for the design of the next generation of surgical robots, so that the axis length of the robot arm joints can be controlled within a reasonable range, effectively helping the doctors using the robot to perform less traumatic and more accurate surgery. And allow patients to achieve better outcomes.

Traditional surgical robots consist of large poles with multiple robotic arms holding a tiny camera and various instruments, such as scissors, grippers, needle holders, and grippers. But the ideal Angle for the camera and the instrument to enter the incision needs to be as parallel and close together as possible in order to achieve both minimal trauma and to eliminate any differences between the camera view and the operating Angle of each instrument. This problem can be effectively solved by leaning the robotic arms together as far as possible and shortening the shaft length of the arm joint.

High torque motors with short stack lengths are key to achieving excellent torque while minimizing shaft length, total volume, and weight. The gear drive converts the relatively high motor motion into the lower speed and higher torque required to move the load of the robot arm at the right speed, accurately locate and firmly hold the load, thus enabling highly compact axial integration within the joint and providing a relatively high gear ratio to smoothly accelerate/decelerate the load and accurately locate it; It can also operate with zero clearance, minimizing any additional movement that may affect surgical accuracy or cause unnecessary trauma.

At present, a large number of control system suppliers are serving surgical robots. Surgical robot companies can spend less experience and money to buy mature control components, reduce the energy investment in mechanical design, and spend more time on the research of more critical core algorithms, so that the products of surgical robots will be more competitive and better able to grasp this emerging and huge market.

China is the largest application market of robots in the world. However, currently, China's surgical robot market is still in the early stage of development, and continues to make great efforts in terms of technological innovation and industrial chain integrity. In the future, surgical robots will continue to be an important trend and innovation direction in the medical field. The development of surgical robot parts and system suppliers will play a crucial role in providing medical institutions and physicians with more advanced and efficient surgical robot equipment and services. Suppliers need to continuously improve technology, improve product performance and quality, but also need to strengthen cooperation with medical institutions and doctors to better meet customer needs.