China's Surgical Robots Advance Rapidly Through Simultaneous Remote Operations for Overseas Patients

[Anchor]

China, which is investing heavily in robotics, is showing rapid growth in the field of surgical robots. While a significant gap remains between them and market leader Da Vinci of the United States, they are closing in fast by spearheading remote surgery.

Correspondent Choi Go-un reports from Beijing.

[Reporter]

[Hello, Professor. This is Kazakhstan.]

[Nice to meet you. Let's go over what you've done and check the details of the patient case.]

This is a scene from a kidney tumor surgery.

A doctor stands beside the patient in Kazakhstan, while two other doctors in France and China respectively control the consoles from their own locations, performing the surgery together as a trio.

This is a so-called "transcontinental" remote surgery utilizing "Toumai," a surgical robot made by a Chinese company.

[Professor Hushan, it's your turn. (Yes.)]

We visited the company that manufactured this surgical robot.

Founded in 2013, the company has established three factories and 16 robotic surgery training centers in just over a decade.

Armed with high-resolution 3D displays, highly flexible robotic arms, and an open console that frees doctors from having to bury their faces inside, they are targeting the U.S.-made "Da Vinci" surgical robot, which dominates the global surgical robot market.

[Liu Ziqiang / Director at Edge Medical: (The open console) reduces neck and back fatigue for doctors performing long surgeries. Outsiders can also easily observe the surgical process.]

When performing surgery, doctors actually look at screens like this.

To the naked eye, it might seem quite blurry, but when you put on these 3D glasses, the screen becomes extremely clear and you can feel the sense of depth sharply reduced.

There are about a dozen Chinese surgical robot companies challenging Da Vinci's dominance.

However, experts note that a substantial technological gap still exists compared to Da Vinci, which holds over 700 technology patents, and that Chinese firms fall short of overcoming Da Vinci's long-accumulated clinical data, surgeons' proficiency, and robust supply chain.

Consequently, rather than focusing solely on technological advantages, some companies are pushing remote surgery—which Da Vinci does not actively offer—as a key promotional point.

Nevertheless, backed by the Chinese government's aggressive localization policies and fierce competition among domestic firms, projections suggest they will narrow the gap in the near future.

(Video journalist: Choi Deok-hyun, Video editor: Jeon Min-gyu, Design: Choi Jin-hoe)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.