World's first 'eye-hand-brain' integrated surgical robot approved for market launch in China

The National Medical Products Administration has approved trinity-enabled interventional surgical robot ETcath for market launch, marking the world's first "eye-hand-brain" integrated surgical robot, according to a post published by Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area's (Beijing E-Town) official WeChat account on Monday.    

The ETcath was developed by Beijing-based medical equipment firm WeMed. It combines high-definition imaging, precise robotic arms, and an (artificial intelligence) Al-empowered analysis database to enhance operational synergy during medical surgeries, said the post, noting that the move marks a great leap in China's high-end medical equipment manufacturing industry. 

ETcath's imaging system is capable to identify lesions with 0.1-millimeter-level precision, five times more accurate than the human eye. Its robotic arms can achieve submillimeter motion control with an error of less than 0.05mm and can sense minimal forces as low as 0.01 Newtons. 

Besides, the Al-empowered analysis database stores millions of clinical case data, which can generate clinical case models within a second, and provides precise imaging data analysis, according to the post.

Biotechnology and big health industry are among Beijing E-Town's four pillar industries, and the area is home for nearly 5,000 enterprises covering biomedical, medical equipment, biotechnology and medical material.