Robotic surgical device manufacturing is at the burgeoning intersection of the automation industry and the medical instrumentation field. Although the current-day technology has existed since the early 2000s, the last couple of years have seen a large upswing in robotic surgery procedures.
The market for robot-assisted medical systems grew from $626.5 million in 2007 to an estimated $1 billion in 2008, according to a report published by Research and Markets. At the current rate, it is forecast to expand to $14 billion by 2014.
Much of this growth has been driven by sales of the "da Vinci" robotic system, developed by Intuitive Surgical. According to Barron's, the number of patients who underwent da Vinci surgery last year soared to 85,000, an increase of 75 percent from 2006. System sales rose by 42 percent over the same period.
The system's tiny robot arms are able to go places where human hands cannot, such as between the ribs in order to access the heart. The arms follow commands given by a surgeon in another room, who monitors the operation on a magnified screen. This process is particularly helpful for high-risk patients who would normally be considered poor candidates for intensive surgery.
Tags: da Vinci, Robotic Surgery
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