Weiga (robot surgeon)

2023: Robot Surgeon Announcement

In early June 2023, it became known that the Chinese company Weigao Group has developed an advanced robotic surgery system, which is an analogue of the American Da Vinci complex developed by Intuitive Surgical.

The new platform is designed for laparoscopic surgery - this is a minimally invasive method of performing operations, in which small punctures are made instead of traditional cuts to the abdominal wall. The Weigao system allows you to work at angles that are unattainable for a human surgeon. In addition, the robotic arm automatically compensates for unintended movements of the operator, which ensures higher accuracy of the procedure.

Weiga (robot surgeon)

The Weigao platform provides for the use of special 3D glasses instead of a traditional monitor. This approach is said to reduce the fatigue of the surgeon during prolonged operations. In addition, interaction with other doctors and nurses is simplified. The Weigao complex can take advantage of 5G mobile networks, such as high data rates and small delays. As a result, it becomes possible to organize remote surgery to conduct operations for patients living in rural areas of the country, where medical resources are limited.

Another advantage of the Weigao robotic platform compared to Da Vinci is the price: the system costs approximately $1.97 million, while the American counterpart will cost $3.5 million. The high cost of Da Vinci has led to the fact that China lags behind Europe and the United States in terms of penetration of surgical robots. It is estimated that the PRC accounts for only 5% of the global robotic surgical complex market. Thanks to the emergence of its own solutions, China intends to strengthen its position in the relevant market.^[1]

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