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The West China Hospital of Sichuan University has validated what is touted as the first locally developed robotic arm for orthopaedic surgery in China.
In a press statement, Yuanhua Tech announced that its latest product, the HX Orthopaedic-specific Robotic Arm, has passed clinical verification at the Chengdu-based major teaching hospital.
Developed by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Yuanhua Orthopaedic Robotics (Shenzhen), the robotic arm features "high-precision zero-gravity compensation, compliant control, and tactile feedback." During its clinical validation, it has demonstrated "stable performance of zero lag, zero latency, zero deviation, and zero error," according to the company.
It further noted that the robotic arm "significantly improves surgical efficiency and accuracy while ensuring clinical adaptability and medical data security."
WHY IT MATTERS
Yuanhua Tech positions its orthopaedic-specific robotic arm as a local alternative in China's market for high-end specialised medical equipment that is still dominated by international companies. The company noted that the market's growth is driven by the ageing population and policies promoting precision medicine and the balanced distribution of medical resources.
Given its advanced capabilities on par with market-leading robotic systems, it has the potential to lower adoption barriers for high-end surgical equipment, particularly in resource-constrained settings where specialist expertise is limited and in lower-tier hospitals, according to the company's chairman, Li Aili. The domestically developed surgical robot could help offset surgeon shortages in remote areas and support a more even distribution of medical resources, Li added.
Founded in 2018, Yuanhua Tech has strived to manufacture fully homegrown smart medical equipment to help the country rely less on importation. It has built a portfolio of surgical robots across specialties, such as orthopaedics, gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as for hemodialysis centres. It currently holds 12 certifications from China's National Medical Products Administration, including for its orthopaedic-specific robotic arm, which it received in December. It has also obtained regulatory clearances in Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
It claims to be the only company in China to have "independently developed all key components of orthopaedic surgical robots" and broke what is perceived as an "international monopoly on key components of high-end surgical robots" in the country.
THE LARGER TREND
Outside China, the Alexandra Hospital in Singapore also developed a novel AI algorithm that automates implant positioning in robotic-assisted total knee replacement, a common orthopaedic procedure.
Catholic University of Korea St Vincent's Hospital recently started performing robotics-assisted knee replacement surgeries, featuring a robotic surgical system from American company Stryker. Across Asia, popular robotic systems by Medtronic and Intuitive are widely adopted in health systems.
