Medicaroid Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; President: Kaoru Asano; hereinafter referred to as Medicaroid) announces it received regulatory approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) for the hinotoriTM Surgical Robot System.
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 hinotoriTM Surgical Robot System, as the first made-in-Japan robotic assisted surgery system. Fornow, Medicaroid aims for prompt introduction in the urology market of Japan.
The hinotoriTM 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 Hinotorifor thesurgery 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 hinotoriTM Surgical Robot System.
Going forward, Medicaroid will continue development to expand the applicable indications for useto 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.
Product Outline
JMDN: Surgical robot unit
Brand name: hinotoriTM Surgical Robot System (Approval number: 0200BZX00256000) HF series instruments (Approval number:30200BZX00257000)
Target market: Japan and overseas (International sales will start after regulatory approval and certification for each country)
Marketing authorization holder: Medicaroid Corporation
Company outline
Name: Medicaroid Corporation
Location: International Medical Device Alliance 6th Floor, 1-6-5 Minatojima Minami-machi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan
Establishment: August 29, 2013Capital:¥7.96 billion (as of December 31, 2019)
Ownership: Kawasaki Heavy Industries: 50%; Sysmex Corporation: 50%
Representative: President: Kaoru AsanoExecutive Vice President, Member of the Managing Board: Hirofumi Tanaka
Lines of business:Marketing, development, design, manufacturing, sales, and after-sales-service related to the medical robot
Notes:
1Components of the hinotoriTM Surgical Robot System
Surgeon Cockpit: A component where a surgeon controls a 3D videoscope and instruments by operating it using hands and feet while viewing the surgical site in the 3D viewer.
Operation Unit: A component which actually performs a surgical operation by the use of the Surgeon Cockpit.
Vision Unit: A component which integrates the images to display on the surgeon’s viewer and controls the voice audio and volume.
