A project to aid minimal access surgery with an optical positioning robot, jointly undertaken by Tianjin Horizon Computer Application Co. Ltd., the Institute of Robots, a part of Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Department of Computer at Tsinghua University, and the Neurosurgery Center of the Navy General Hospital, rolled out minimal access surgery products that have recently passed a verification check.

The minimal access surgery system, aided by an optical positioning robot, is made up of a number of sub-systems, covering medical imaging feeding, computer aided surgery planning, surgery navigation, NDI optical positioning, mechanical arm in five positions, and mechanical arm control. The new system, built on the existing proven technologies and experience, creates a new approach for using active robots in surgery. The project has found solutions for a range of key issues, and developed proprietary core technologies for robot operating system, optical positioning system, robot mechanisms, and surgery planning software. The research team also rolled out novel surgery instruments suitable for China?痵 conditions, based on clinical trials and products development.

Compared with its overseas counterparts, the new system has an unmatched strength for its lower cost and simpler operation. Repeated clinical trials expect broader application perspectives.