ETRI's medical humanoid robot interface NAMI.I won a main award at the IDEA Design Awards, adding to the institute's 2024 recognition for its MOBY teach-pendant software. The user-centered interface aims to let healthcare workers assign tasks to the NAMI robot without programming, and ETRI plans a hospital demonstration to refine it for commercialization.
A soft robotic exosuit is designed to assist older adults with standing up from a chair. The device aims to respond intuitively and stay synchronized with the user's hip and leg movements.
A surgical robot developed by the Eye Center of Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital filters hand tremors to 10-micron precision. In July 2023, it completed Asia's first clinical ophthalmology robot surgery, performing a 3-minute macular injection on a nearly blind patient; 32 such procedures have been done to date.
A survey by The Asahi Shimbun found that female surgeons in Japan receive fewer opportunities to perform robot-assisted surgery than male peers. Women led only 4% of robot-assisted gastric cancer operations and 5% of rectal tumor surgeries, compared with 8–12% for laparoscopic and open procedures.
IndexBox's latest report predicts the global AI surgical robot market will grow 16.8% by 2035, driven primarily by a worldwide shortage of surgeons. The market is entering a structural expansion phase, with demand accelerating and shifting toward hybrid procurement models.
CITIC Securities says the medical device sector has reached a turning point, with 2026 offering earnings and valuation repair opportunities. It highlights innovative devices, overseas expansion, brain-computer interfaces, AI healthcare, surgical robots, and exoskeleton robots as key themes, while listing policy, R&D, approval, macroeconomic, and geopolitical risks.
A massage robot made its public debut in Huizhou, Guangdong, on September 20, using AI-assisted facial and tongue analysis to generate personalized treatment plans. The system combines 3D vision, force sensing and automated tool changes to perform massage, cupping and shockwave therapy, though experts say fully replicating human tactile judgment remains a challenge.
Newport Hospital has become the first in Rhode Island to adopt the da Vinci 5 surgical robot, with the entire cost covered by donations after a year of fundraising. The system will be used for minimally invasive procedures in urology, gynecology, thoracic surgery, and general surgery, while humanoid surgical robots remain in early feasibility studies.
StarCan Intelligence has completed four million-yuan funding rounds in its first year by focusing on wheelchair robots rather than humanoid demos. Its XcanMateX combines autonomous navigation, voice interaction and caregiving functions, targeting aging-care markets in Europe and China.
Sichuan is accelerating exoskeleton robot adoption, with tourism and wellness as early scenarios and medical rehabilitation as the main track. Companies are advancing AI, brain-computer interfaces, and lightweight designs, while industry experts predict a consumer market boom within a few years.
A UC San Diego team used Unitree's G1 humanoid robot to perform two laparoscopic cholecystectomies on live pigs, marking the first live surgery by a humanoid. While the system completed key steps, its precision and clinical maturity remain far below specialized surgical robots, with curved-trajectory errors about 10 times larger and frequent calibration pauses.
China's NHSA gathered seven surgical robot makers and five hospitals to warn against using the technology for showmanship or inflating procedure volumes, even as installation and market figures keep rising. The real bottleneck, experts say, is not pricing or reimbursement but a shortage of adequately trained surgeons, since most cleared systems remain low-autonomy tools.
The National Healthcare Security Administration held an expert symposium on surgical robots on September 11, with representatives from seven manufacturers and five hospitals discussing the technology's development and insurance policies.
A Chinese medical team has performed the world's first AI-ultrasound-robot-guided intervention for congenital heart disease, marking a new phase where AI assists in core surgical decisions. This signals a shift in medical robotics from mechanical precision to intelligent, real-time navigation, with potential to improve accuracy and the dissemination of expert care.
Researchers at the University of Queensland have developed 'Paraborgs' — cyborg cockroaches equipped with cameras or spring-loaded injectors that can be steered remotely. In tests, the insects navigated a course and successfully injected a target 72% of the time, suggesting potential for future disaster response.
Medtronic announced a $700 million investment in Cornerstone Robotics and gained distribution rights for its Sentire surgical system in key markets outside the U.S. The partnership aims to expand access to robotic-assisted surgery by offering two complementary platforms, Hugo and Sentire, addressing varying surgeon preferences.
ATDev is developing an autonomous wheelchair with a robotic arm to help power wheelchair users with daily tasks. The company, part of the ARPA-H-funded RAMMP program, focuses on shared autonomy and aims to get regulatory approval within five years.
Diligent Robotics has begun rolling out Moxi 2.0, its next-generation hospital robot, to U.S. health systems. The robot features faster perception, longer runtime, and a learning flywheel that improves with each deployment.
Robotic rehabilitation systems are transforming stroke recovery by enhancing neuroplasticity and enabling personalized, home-based therapy. AI-driven tools and error augmentation techniques promise more effective and accessible care for survivors.
Wuhan startup Xiyuan Intelligent is developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) integrated with embodied AI to enable active rehabilitation for stroke patients. Founded in May 2026, the company has already demonstrated a medical delivery robot and is advancing from VLA to world models.
A Chinese medical device firm has won EU approval for its 8mm 3D+4K+fluorescence endoscope, enabling surgical robots to use standard ports. This breakthrough reduces invasiveness and boosts AI-driven medical data collection.
The global surgical robot industry is booming, but domestic manufacturers face critical bottlenecks in materials, precision manufacturing, and supply chain collaboration. A new closed-door seminar aims to bridge the gap between demand and supply for core components.