The ageing world population and an increasing amount of surgeries worldwide increases the demand for surgical robots rapidly (George and Brand, 2018). Therefore, robotic surgeons are an upcoming technological innovation in the MedTech industry. Robotic assistants are able to perform with higher precision and a lower error-rate than humans, which reduces the number of complications during surgeries. The high reliability and flexibility of these robots changes the intensity of interventions and therefore mortality rates during surgery drop. This challenges incumbents in the healthcare industry to develop further and creates opportunities for innovative start-ups and tech giants to emerge in the MedTech industry. By collaborating with governments and research agencies they are able to provide the industry with new insights, products and services (Ugalmugale and Mupid, 2019). Nowadays, robots are already being used in surgeries to assist surgeons and doctors during complex medical interventions. Robotical interventions are being applied in different segments of the healthcare industry, ranging from orthopedic surgery to gynecology surgery. Although there is a lot of progress in the development of these robotics, they are only being used to assist during surgeries. Surgeons are starting to work with robots more and more and therewith are able to provide technicians with helpful feedback. Surgeons, doctors, nurses and hospitals need to adapt to the developing robotical technologies to be able to use these robots effectively. Intensive training and workflow improvements are required (Diana and Marescaux, 2015). The majority of surgeons have been convinced by the recent developments and are willing to adopt surgical robots. In the nearby future, humanoid robots will be able to, under supervision, fully take over the task of surgeons during surgery. Intensive and exhausting surgeries being executed by surgical robots will make sure patients receive more precise healthcare. Surgeons will be able to shift their focus towards other task and people in need of care (Ogden, 2016). However, surgical robots have their price and are under constant development. Therefore, hospitals need to make huge investments in this equipment as well as training for surgeons and medical staff to be able to work with these robots. These high costs might hinder the industry to grow, especially in underdeveloped countries. Technological advancements will have to reduce the prices of these robots to make robotic surgeries available for everyone as quick as possible. As robotic surgery practices are becoming more and more common in the MedTech industry a lot of deaths could be prevented.

References:

Diana, M., and Marescaux, J. (2015) Robotic surgery. British Journal of Surgery, 102(2), e15-e28.

George, E. I. and Brand, C. T. C. (2018). Origins of robotic surgery: from skepticism to standard of care. JSLS: Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons, 22(4).

Ogden, C. (2016) The evolution of robotic surgery. Available at:

Click to access 493bb378c1629a5d18788a21888c5ab33035.pdf

Ugalmugale, S. and Mupid, s., (2019) Surgical Robots Market Share | Global Size Forecast Report 2019-2025, Available at: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/surgical-robots- market