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Noah Medical’s Galaxy is a totally built-in surgical robotics system for navigated bronchoscopy. | Credit score: Noah Medical
Medical robotics continues its spectacular march ahead inside mainstream medication. From new purposes to new applied sciences, the sphere demonstrated spectacular progress over the past 12 months.
However there’s nonetheless unbelievable room to develop, and waiting for 2024, there are a couple of clear areas of alternative.
Market circumstances align for progress
The observe of robotics in medical procedures has come a good distance in a short while. The primary robotic-assisted surgical procedure on a reside affected person was carried out virtually 40 years in the past. Now, it’s an $18 billion world market and is estimated to develop to $83 billion by 2032. Intuitive Surgical experiences that its da Vinci methods alone have carried out 12 million procedures.
However this solely scratches the floor of what’s potential. Extra surgical robotics methods for extra sorts of procedures have made the know-how’s advantages to sufferers, surgeons and hospitals abundantly clear. Sufferers expertise much less invasive operations for quicker restoration and therapeutic, surgeons can function with precision and keep away from some bodily stress on their our bodies, and hospitals get monetary savings with shorter stays and fewer readmissions whereas additionally gaining a aggressive advertising edge.
Consequently, extra well being methods and physicians are increasing their use of surgical robotics. A latest Bain research discovered that 78% of surgeons within the U.S. are taken with surgical robotics. And even in arenas the place robotics are widespread — like hip and knee replacements — the research discovered there are nonetheless numerous procedures that don’t but contain robotics.
Close to-term progress alternatives will probably be outlined by corporations exploiting gaps within the present market, both specializing in new illness states and specialties or delivering second-generation options that enhance upon present options. From a know-how and innovation perspective, search for the continued growth of synthetic intelligence (AI) in robotics, the usage of revolutionary new supplies in robotic building, ever-smaller footprint robotic methods, and surgical procedure within the Metaverse.
Submit your nominations for innovation awards within the 2024 RBR50 awards.
Integration of AI
Maybe no single phrase or know-how dominated conversations in 2023 like AI, and healthcare was no exception. Its use in imaging, prognosis and different purposes continued to interrupt new floor and demonstrated its potential to enhance affected person outcomes alongside supplier effectivity.
In 2024, count on AI to turn into steadily onboarded into new and present robotic platforms. Its confirmed effectiveness in imaging holds promise for improved navigational capabilities, real-time prognosis and even the automation of primary features.
Additional forward, we’re more likely to see the healthcare equal of driverless vehicles with robotic platforms in a position to autonomously lead on some procedures. In a latest American School of Surgeons journal article, Dr. Stephanie Worrell mentioned that AI may even in the future use video information of hundreds of surgical procedures carried out by physicians to duplicate a surgical process in order that it may be carried out by a machine.
Supplies enchancment
Advances in delicate robotics obtained a lot consideration over the previous 12 months, showcasing the potential for robotics to function safely throughout the human physique.
Most lately, a world crew from the College of Galway and MIT debuted an implantable gadget that mixes AI and delicate robotics to constantly ship medicine over time by altering its form to beat fibrosis. This method might show helpful for treating continual circumstances like diabetes.
Anticipate these purposes and others to display appreciable momentum in 2024. Tasks already in growth embrace delicate robotic arms that may acquire entry to the surgical website neatly.
Measurement issues
Early robotic platforms had been monumental constructs that took up numerous bodily house and required in depth assist methods. This naturally restricted deployments to bigger well being methods with better assets.
Past exterior surgical procedure methods, the sphere of nanorobotics guarantees tiny robots that may journey throughout the physique to ship medicine, restore tendons or monitor for illness circumstances. Earlier this 12 months, a crew from South Korea printed a research detailing their use of exterior magnets to exactly information a mini robotic via the bloodstream of a pig to an arterial blockage the place it delivered distinction dye and navigated again to an extraction website.
Whereas the impression of introducing nanorobots into the human physique remains to be unclear, this area is extremely thrilling and has monumental potential to advance human well being and affected person outcomes.
Telesurgery
The pandemic helped telehealth go mainstream. Now, the maturation of that know-how alongside novel developments just like the Metaverse are opening the door to distant surgical procedure.
To make certain, distant coaching of surgeons has been finished for years, however new mixed-reality instruments are accelerating coaching for robotic-assisted surgical procedure and extra advanced procedures. As these applied sciences proceed to evolve, we might in the future see robots performing life-saving battlefield procedures whereas the surgeons working them stay secure hundreds of miles away.
Methods for fulfillment
Whereas 2024 will undoubtedly see new developments that would result in much more purposes of robotic know-how for well being and surgical procedure, the important thing will probably be innovation via a twin lens of affected person and well being system advantages.
Capital-intensive investments like new robotic methods will flounder with out demonstrating a capability to each enhance affected person outcomes in addition to present operational and financial advantages to well being suppliers. Meaning second-generation robots should ship extra scientific worth and quicker therapeutic for sufferers alongside better effectivity and income for well being methods and their employees.
Innovators should additionally resist the urge to construct robots for the sake of constructing robots. There isn’t any marketplace for a robotic platform that can’t dramatically enhance the time, value or outcomes of present strategies.
The important thing for giant and small robotics corporations alike is to work hand-in-hand with physicians on the event of latest methods. This collaborative method will allow corporations to leapfrog at this time’s applied sciences and make the stuff of yesterday’s science fiction tomorrow’s actuality.
Editor’s Notice: This text was republished from sister web site Medical Design & Outsourcing.
In regards to the Creator
Jian Zhang, founder and CEO of Noah Medical, is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded two different profitable startups and served as CEO. He was additionally worker No. 2 at Auris Well being, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $5.7B in 2019.
Earlier than becoming a member of Auris, he labored at Intuitive Surgical. Zhang obtained his MS and PhD from Columbia College.
