Surgical, Healthcare, Assistive, and Campus Robot Market Strategy, Market Shares, and Market Forecasts, 2008-2014

Business Wire, Sept 3, 2008

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/793216/surgical_healthca) has announced the addition of WinterGreen Research, Inc.'s new report "Surgical, Healthcare, Assistive, and Campus Robot Market Strategy, Market Shares, and Market Forecasts, 2008-2014" to their offering.

During a robot assisted surgical procedure, the patient-side cart is positioned next to the operating table with the electromechanical arms arranged to provide access to the initial ports selected by the surgeon. Metal tubes attached to the arms are inserted through the ports, and the cutting and visualization instruments are introduced through the tubes into the patient's body.

Next generation intuitive surgery is implemented with robotic devices. The robotic surgical systems are designed to provide the surgeon with the intuitive control, range of motion, fine tissue manipulation capability, and 3-D vision characteristic of open surgery. Systems work by simultaneously allowing the surgeon to work through the small ports of MIS. All this is accomplished in an intuitive manner, in the same way that the movements of a surgeon's hands in open surgery are entirely intuitive.

The surgeon performs the procedure while sitting at a console, manipulating the instrument controls and viewing the operation through a vision system. When a surgeon needs to change an instrument the instrument is withdrawn from the surgical field using the controls at the console. This is done many times during an operation.

People are making existing MIS procedures easier, safer and more cost-effective than the alternative methods. The strategy is to broaden the number of procedures performed using a robotic surgical system and to educate surgeons, hospitals and patients as to the benefits of robotic surgery. Key elements of strategy include a focus on key procedures. Procedure marketing efforts are primarily focused within four surgical specialties: urologic surgery, gynecologic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and general surgery.

Systems pose a challenge to be relevant and individualized to the special needs of each user. Social behavior plays a fundamental role in assisting all people, including people with special needs. The robot's physical embodiment, its physical presence and appearance, and its shared context with the user, are fundamental for creating a time-extended engaging relationship with the user.

An adaptive, reliable and user-friendly hands-off robot needs to provide an engaging and motivating customized therapy protocol to participants in school, clinic, and ultimately, home environments. It needs to establish a very complex and complete human-robot relationship. Robots must be endowed with human-oriented interaction skills and capabilities, exhibit context and user-appropriate social behavior, and focus attention and communication on the user in order to help the user achieve specific goals. Different systems developed in lab research that integrate social elements and systems to form therapeutic programs that monitor, encourage, and assist users.

Stroke rehabilitation has traditionally relied on simple training equipment dedicated for a particular purpose. The advance of computing and robotics techniques provides a chance to improve on several aspects of stroke rehabilitation. Computer control can allow therapies to be customized to the individual need. Systems can be designed to be available whenever needed by the patient.

It may be possible to provide home based systems that can continue to give regular therapy sessions once the patient is discharged from hospitals. Providing intelligent therapy assistance means that there may be a chance to make objective recordings of the therapy session for subsequent analysis. In this process the traditional task of the neuro-rehabilitation specialists changes to mimic the advances brought by video analysis of games typical of professional sporting teams (particularly the teams that win).

The iRobot ConnectR is a way to stay connected to family and friends even when apart. ConnectR is used in pilot programs initially. ConnectR robots are available directly from iRobot as part of a pilot program. ConnectR Pilot Program costs are $199, afterward the product sells for $500. These markets will grow slowly, security applications are most likely to represent early adopter users.

Worldwide robotically-assisted surgery systems equipment shipment markets are set to have rapid growth. Markets at $626.5 million in 2007 are anticipated to reach $1 billion in 2008 and are forecast to go to $14 billion by 2014. Growth comes because the technology is mature and the technology works. It took a long, long time for the markets to evolve, but now the MIS surgeries are accurate and less invasive than alternative surgical methods, creating market opportunity.

Key Topics Covered:

SURGICAL, HEALTHCARE, ASSISTIVE, AND CAMPUS ROBOT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Healthcare Robot Market Driving Forces

Robotic-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery