The global medical robotics market is booming, and the Asia Pacific region is expected to experience significant growth over the next 5 years, at a CAGR of 23.32%, according to a report published by Market Data Forecast. The market growth is driven by several factors such as the region’s increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, rapid advancement in medical technologies, and growth in funding – including the Asian government’s incentives for the development of medical robotics.
Japan, already advanced in general robotics, has invested heavily into medical robotics in order to provide better and more accessible healthcare services to the country’s aging population. In August 2020, Medicaroid became the first Japanese company to receive the health ministry’s approval to manufacture and market a robotic-assisted surgery system. In China, the number of da Vinci systems installed in the nation’s hospitals surged from 8 installations in 2018 to 59 in 2019, emphasizing the positive results of Intuitive Surgical’s JV there. By the end of 2020, China’s central government had already bought more than 150 surgical robotic systems. Thailand was the first country in Asia to successfully perform a robot-assisted brain surgery in 2017. In early 2021, the Thailand Board of Investment also set up a committee responsible for promoting innovation in medical robotics technology.