Are Medical and Industrial Robotics Entering a New Era of Innovation?

The first surgical robot, Arthrobot, was used in 1983 to precisely position a patient's leg during orthopedic surgery. In 1985, the PUMA 560 robot aided in a brain biopsy by collecting accurate tissue samples.

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Intuitive Surgical introduced the da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system in 1998, and the FDA approved it for laparoscopic surgery in 2000. The da Vinci Xi was the advanced version of the new system released in 2014, which improved flexibility, imaging, and instrument control.

In 2023, da Vinci will add transoral treatments to its roster, all of which save recovery time through less invasive surgeries.

The da Vinci 5 included tactile feedback that allows the surgeon to "feel" the instruments move over soft tissue during surgery, which Intuitive refers to as Force Feedback technology. It gained FDA 510(k) approval in March 2024.

Medtronic's Hugo RAS system hit the market in June 2021 during a prostate operation in Santiago, Chile.

In October 2021, it got CE clearance for use in urologic and gynecologic operations in Europe, followed by approvals in Canada and Australia in 2021 and Japan in 2022. In the United States, FDA clearance was still pending as of February 2025.

Stryker also has Mako, which specializes in joint replacements. Johnson & Johnson's OTTAVA RAS System, a multi-specialty soft-tissue surgical robot, is the most recent entry to have completed testing.

The FDA granted IDE permission for clinical studies in late 2024, and the first set of trials was completed soon before April 14, 2025. Medical robotic specialists anticipate that the "surgical robotic wars" will eventually boil down to a few of market giants. Robotic firms have been combining since the 1990s.

While the number of robot-assisted operations is increasing (human surgeons manipulate robotic equipment via a control panel, joystick, gloves, or other devices), the present list is astounding.

Urological (prostate, kidney), Gynecological (hysterectomy, myomectomy), Cardiac (coronary artery bypass grafting, mitral valve repair), Orthopedic (knee/hip replacements, spinal injuries), Neurosurgeries (tumor resection, spinal surgery), Thoracic (lung), Transplant (organs), and General Surgery (cholecystectomy, gallbladder removal, hernia repair, appendectomy, gastrectomy, pancreatectomy, colectomy, and bariatric surgeries), among others.

Advantages of RAS systems

• Many RAS systems provide surgeons with haptic feedback.
• Precise, minute cuts can be achieved without handshakes using scalpels or other devices.
• High-definition 3-D imaging provides surgeons and clinicians with an ideal view of the operating site.
• Robotic surgery is less invasive, resulting in smaller incisions, less blood loss, less discomfort, and a faster recovery.

How do Robots Really Feel?

While medical robots may lack a sense of humor, certain models do have a sense of touch, which is expected to become a regular function in the future.

The robotic language for sensation of touch is haptic, which means having a "sense of feel." Haptic RAS systems provide surgeons with tactile feedback as they experience resistance from robotic tools, quantified in force (Newtons), as well as sensations of cutting or dragging soft tissue in 2- and 3-dimensional perspectives.

This sensation of "texture" and "stiffness" enables the surgeon to assess and adjust the robotic controls' grasping power. Glove-like controls that provide tactile feedback to the surgeon's fingertips are now popular, with claims that they can reduce gripping force by up to 50 % during soft-tissue manipulation.

Market and Trends

• The surgical robot industry was worth $6.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand 12 % by 2030.
• New developments include integrating AI for real-time decision guidance, improving haptic feedback, and creating smaller, cheaper devices to increase accessibility.
• Recent improvements (e.g., Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci 5, FDA-cleared in 2024) prioritize improved analytics, ergonomics, and procedure compatibility.

Industrial Robots

In contrast, industrial robots have a three-decade head start on their medical equivalents. In 1954, George Devol created Unimate, a crude robot that handled hot metal parts on a General Motors manufacturing line.

As of September 2024, the number of industrial robots has increased by 10 % worldwide from 2023. Seventy percent of that rise came from Asia, 17 %, Europe, and 10 % from the Americas. The estimated number of robots in factories globally is 4.3 million.

In 2023, the top four countries for robot installations were China, Japan, the United States, and South Korea.

In 2023, U.S. demand for robots in the automotive sector declined somewhat, but increased in the metals and machine industries, with the number of units rising 8 %. The electronics and electrical industries were up 1 %.

With trillions of dollars in industrial investment flooding into the US economy by 2025, several US industries are expected to increase their use of robotics. Also, by 2030, the United States is expected to surpass Japan and catch up with China in the number of industrial robots.

In contrast to the medical robot, the industrial robot is designed for speed, strength, and repeated operations that need high-volume production throughout the working day, such as assembling, welding, painting, material handling, and packing. Currently, General Motors controls 12 % of all industrial robots in the US.

As of 2018, the worldwide industrial robot market is divided into five industries: automotive (30 %), electrical/electronics (25 %), metals and machinery (10 %), rubber and plastics (5 %), and food production/service. Industrial robots are classified into many kinds based on their roles:

• Cartesian robots, also known as gantry robots, have three prismatic joints each.
• Spherical robots feature just rotational joints and are commonly used in injection molding, die-casting, and welding.
• Articulated robots have several degrees of flexibility, making them ideal for tasks like assembly, painting, and welding.
• Cylindrical robots feature a rotating joint at the base and at least one prismatic joint, making them ideal for use in compact places.
• SCARA (selected compliance assembly robot arms) are used for accurate lateral motion and have two parallel joints for the X-Y (X-Y-Z) axes.
• Delta Robots form a parallel connection. These are high-speed pick-and-place robots designed for efficient packing and material handling.

The robots have become stronger. AI is a silicon genius. What will it all look like?

Sources

www.visualcapitalist.com., International Federation of Robotics, & corporate news released to the public.

This information has been sourced, reviewed, and adapted from materials provided by Interpower.

For more information on this source, please visit Interpower.