Medicaroid's hinotori Surgical Robot System approved in Japan
In recent years, along with the progress of minimally invasive surgery that reduces the burden on the patient, there is a growing need for robotic surgery. Japan is one of the world's leading robot powers and has achieved more than half of the world's market share of industrial robots, however, no made-in-Japan surgical robot had been launched on the market.
To meet such expectations for medical robots, Medicaroid was jointly established in 2013 by Kawasaki
Heavy Industries, Ltd., a leading company of industrial robots, and Sysmex Corporation, an experienced business player which has expertise in inspection and diagnosis and an extensive network in the medical field. Medicaroid has been developing a medical robot based on the concept of “co-existence of humans and robots” since 2015, and finally achieved Japanese regulatory approval for the hinotori Surgical Robot System, as the first made-in-Japan robotic assisted surgery system. For now, Medicaroid aims for prompt introduction in the urology market of Japan.
The hinotori Surgical Robot System consists of three components1: the Surgeon Cockpit, Operation Unit, and Vision Unit. Arms of the Operation Unit are designed to be as compact as human arms, which contributes to smoother operation because it reduces interferences between arms or between an arm and an assistant.
The Surgeon Cockpit adopts ergonomic design to fit the postures of surgeons during surgeries. It reduces the physical burden on surgeons and supports stress-free surgeries.
The Vision Unit provides high-definition 3D images on the stereoscopic viewer of the Surgeon Cockpit and supports smooth communication between surgeons and assistants.
The origin of this system’s name, Hinotori, is the title of classic manga (graphic novel) “Hinotori (aka. Phoenix)” written by Osamu Tezuka as his life’s work. He was one of the greatest Japanese manga artists and is known to have had a medical license. Tezuka Productions approved the adoption of the name Hinotori for the surgery system, agreeing with the concept of Medicaroid's robot: “a robot to serve and support humans rather than to replace humans”. Just as Osamu Tezuka continued to face the preciousness of lives through his work "Hinotori", Medicaroid will keep supporting healthcare workers who face lives through the hinotori Surgical Robot System.Going forward, Medicaroid will continue development to expand the applicable indications for use to make contributions to more patients.
Medicaroid is committed to contribute to a prosperous society where everyone, including patients, their
families and medical professionals, can live with peace of mind."
Source: Medicaroid
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