Medical Robots Market: Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Challenges

Medical robots is an emerging field in healthcare that has been causing a paradigm shift in healthcare as it improves the quality of patient care. Demographic change, shortage of healthcare professionals, need to improve quality of life for the disabled and elderly, and need to improve surgical procedures coupled with the focus to develop technologically advanced robots are some of the factors expected to stimulate the adoption of medical robots.

DRIVERS:

Advantages offered by robot-assisted training in rehabilitation therapy

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability in the US. Impairments that result from stroke include fatigue, hemiparesis, and difficulties with walking. It is vital for stroke patients to regain their walking ability by actively participating in the rehabilitation process to avoid secondary complications such as osteoporosis or heart disease. In 2017, a study published in the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal compared robotic-assisted gait therapy (RAGT) with traditional physiotherapy in 14 patients. The results of this study stated that RAGT could provide stroke patients with extra benefits in terms of ambulation, mobility, and balance as compared to physiotherapy. Also, in 2013, a study conducted by UK-based Cochrane Collaboration concluded that stroke patients who engaged in robot-assisted gait training for their rehabilitation demonstrated improved recovery in independent walking as compared to patients who only pursued conventional gait training. Switzerland-based Hocoma’s Lokomat Pro is a popular therapeutic robot that provides effective gait training for stroke patients at rehabilitation centers worldwide. Balgrist University Hospital (Switzerland), Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital (US), MossRehab (US), Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Singapore), and Wellington Hospital (UK) are some of the rehabilitation centers using Lokomat for their therapy sessions.

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Technological advancements

Researchers work closely with industry veterans and doctors with first-hand knowledge of patient needs and medical practices and gather feedback. This close working relationship fosters the development of medical robots with direct applications. Technological advancements have led to the introduction of a number of medical robots which have enhanced medical practice. Listed below are some of the recent technological advancements in this field:

In 2016, Virtual Incision (US) announced positive results for trials on its miniature robots for applications in minimally invasive colon resection procedures. Virtual Incision’s technology earned the 2015 Game Changer Award from Robotics Business Review in the Medical and Surgical category.
In 2016, Penguin for Autism Behavioral Intervention (PABI), a robot developed by WPI’s Automation and Interventional Medicine Lab (US), was showcased at The Robotics Trends Show. PABI, designed for treating children with autism, is expected to reduce the out-of-pocket costs for autism therapy. The robot is expected to be available in the market in the next two years.
In 2015, the University of Twente (Netherlands) developed a robot-assisted system that aids in steering flexible needles which can reach their target in tissues with sub-millimeter accuracy.

Restraints

Safety concerns over robotic surgery devices

The adoption of medical robots has increased significantly in minimally invasive procedures owing to the various advantages offered by these systems. However, recent studies have brought to light a number of technical difficulties and complications that were experienced by performing procedures using robotic systems. According to the FDA, surgical robots have been linked to over 144 deaths, over 1,391 injuries, and 8,061 device malfunctions, from 2000 to 2013. Another study conducted in 2014 by researchers at the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago reported that equipment arcing during an operation caused burn injuries among 193 patients and uncontrolled movements of instruments injured 52 patients. The risks associated with the use of robots are thus expected to restrain the growth of the medical robots market.

opportunities

Rapid growth in the geriatric population

According to the United Nations, the world population is aging rapidly. In 2015, the number of people aged 60 and above was estimated at 901 million. This number is expected to reach 2.1 billion by 2050. With a worldwide increase in the geriatric population, the number of individuals suffering from physical disabilities is also likely to increase. Technological advancements have enabled the development of medical robots that help manage routine tasks in medical and residential care environments for the elderly and people with disabilities. For instance, principal research scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Department of Mechanical Engineering developed the Anklebot in October 2013. The robot is an experimental and rehabilitation tool designed to train and strengthen lower-extremity muscles.

Rising patient preference for minimally invasive surgeries

Across the globe, the demand for minimally invasive surgeries is on the rise mainly due to the advantages associated with these procedures, such as smaller incisions, fewer cuts, decreased scarring, reduced pain, increased safety, faster recovery periods, and considerable cost savings. According to EndoEvolution, a US-based medical device company, more than 1.5 million minimally invasive surgeries are performed in the US every year. The number of robotic medical procedures performed is also increasing. In 2017, as many as 877,000 surgical procedures were performed globally using Intuitive Surgical’s surgical robots. The growing preference for and rising number of robotic procedures performed are likely to present growth opportunities in the medical robots market.

challenges

High cost of robotic systems

Robotic-assisted surgeries are much more expensive than other minimally invasive surgeries. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends robotic hysterectomy only for unusual and complex clinical conditions. The association states that the adoption of robotic surgery for all hysterectomies would add an estimated USD 960 million to the annual cost of hysterectomy surgeries in the US. The da Vinci system, which is one of the most commonly used robotic system, costs more than USD 1.5 million, while the CyberKnife robotic system costs around USD 4 million per unit. In addition, the annual maintenance cost of a robot is close to USD 125,000, which further adds up to the already high cost of robotic surgery. The rising cost of surgeries due to the use of robotic systems is thus expected to restrain the growth of the medical robots market.