On September 16–17, 2026, the 4th Global Medical Robotics Conference was held at the Zhongguancun International Technology Trading Center in Beijing.

Over the two-day event, more than 600 professionals from clinical practice, hospital management, surgical robotics companies, universities, research institutes, investment institutions and industry service organizations gathered in Beijing to discuss practical issues in the clinical application and industrial development of surgical robotics.

The conference featured two days of professional forums and released the full versions of the Global Surgical Robotics White Paper 2026 and the Surgical Robotics Supply Chain and Services White Paper 2026.

Outside the main conference hall, an exhibition area consisting of 76 display panels showcased complete robotic systems, core components, professional service providers, hospital innovation projects and university innovation projects.

The first day focused more on the industry landscape, product development, supply chains and overseas markets.

Opening Forum: How Can Different Surgical Robotics Segments Navigate the Next Growth Stage?

The morning opening forum was themed “Different Tracks, Similar Cycles — A Panorama of China’s Surgical Robotics Industry and the Next Wave of Growth.”

Wang Guangzhi, tenured professor at Tsinghua University and Fellow of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering, said in his opening remarks that surgical robots need to pass through multiple stages before moving from basic research to large-scale application, including product finalization, registration and validation, hospital access, establishment of surgical procedures and physician training.

He said industry development should remain oriented toward clinical needs and clinical value, while strengthening collaboration between medicine and engineering, accumulating clinical evidence, controlling costs and improving service systems.

Xiao Li, Deputy Director of the Third Industry Division of the Zhongguancun Science City Administrative Committee, said attention to surgical robotics has expanded beyond product innovation to clinical application, payment mechanisms, supply-chain costs and international markets.

He noted that Haidian District brings together universities, research institutes, hospitals and technology companies, and will continue to support interdisciplinary medical-engineering collaboration, technology transfer and industrial cooperation.

Zhao Qing, Editor-in-Chief of MedRobot, then delivered a presentation titled “China Surgical Robotics Industry Panorama: Landscape, Data and Trends.”

The presentation analyzed the domestic surgical robotics market, product registrations, clinical applications and the industry’s current stage of development.

Zhao noted that one of the more prominent issues in the sector is that there are “many registration certificates, but relatively few sales,” meaning product approvals have not yet been fully translated into clinical utilization.

He said companies need to manage cash flow, maintain existing customers and continue directing resources toward products and services with real clinical value.

Following the presentation, Zhao officially released the Global Surgical Robotics White Paper 2026 and the Surgical Robotics Supply Chain and Services White Paper 2026.

The Global Surgical Robotics Awards 2026 ceremony was then held.

The awards covered company categories as well as physician awards including the Surgical Robotics Clinical Application Award, Surgical Robotics Technology Transfer Award and Surgical Robotics Young Innovator Award, recognizing companies, institutions, physicians and clinical teams that had contributed over the past year in product innovation, clinical application, technology transfer and industry development.

During the clinical session, Zhou Yixin, Administrative Director of Orthopedic Surgery and Chief Physician at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Professor at Peking University Health Science Center and Doctoral Supervisor, delivered a presentation titled “Combining Robotics With Personalized Implants for Better TKA Outcomes.”

He discussed the combination of robotics and personalized implants in total knee arthroplasty. His team uses robotic systems to collect biomechanical information on soft tissue and converts the data into quantitative references for soft-tissue release and gap balancing.

The team is further combining these data with personalized implant design to explore data-assisted intraoperative decision-making in TKA.

Wang Yangang, Founder of Tuge Medical and currently Chief Technology Officer for Visual Imaging Technology at Genesis MedTech, delivered a presentation titled “Deep Integration of the Eye and Brain to Accelerate Surgical Robotics — Real-Time Intelligent Vision.”

He introduced the application and technical progress of real-time intelligent vision in surgical robotic systems.

Wang said the next stage of competition in surgical robotics will increasingly extend to vision and intelligent systems. Vision technologies need to move beyond “seeing clearly” toward “measuring accurately,” while also addressing scope miniaturization, real-time AI processing and low latency.

Liang Yonghui, Director of the Emergency Department, Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Center at Aerospace Center Hospital, Chief Physician, MD and Associate Professor at Peking University Health Science Center, presented “Development and Industrialization of Supporting Instruments for Fracture Reduction Surgical Robots.”

He discussed how fracture-reduction robots and their supporting instruments can respond to clinical needs and move toward industrialization.

His team has placed part of its R&D focus on fixation instruments and consumables used alongside the robot, developing new fixation systems for clinical needs including osteoporotic fixation and minimally invasive reduction, with plans to expand into additional fracture procedures.

Ding Long, General Manager of Weigao Intelligence, delivered a presentation titled “Digital-Intelligence Integration: Exploring a Full-Chain Orthopedic Ecosystem Based on Surgical Robotics.”

He shared the company’s experience in the clinical application of orthopedic robots and related workflows.

According to Ding, AI-assisted bone segmentation and identification of key anatomical landmarks can shorten registration time to approximately two minutes, while overall planning can take around seven to eight minutes.

He added that future development will further connect imaging systems, robots and wearable devices to cover diagnosis, surgery and rehabilitation.

Liu Jianxun, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Product Innovation at Great Robotics, delivered a presentation titled “AI-Driven, Self-Evolving: R&D and Industrial Exploration of Great Robotics’ Newton Endo Surgical Robot.”

Great Robotics is the company’s English brand name.

Liu introduced the R&D concept and industrial application of the Newton Endo surgical robot.

Newton Endo adopts a master-slave operating architecture, dual robotic arms and force-feedback design and is intended for minimally invasive orthopedic endoscopic surgery. It also combines mobile 3D imaging, optical tracking and path planning to explore further improvements in robot-assisted surgical operation.

During the capital-markets session, Zheng Tao, Analyst at China Securities, delivered a presentation titled “Surgical Robotics: AI-Driven Assisted Operation Toward ‘Autonomous Driving,’ With Chinese Leaders Entering Global Markets.”

He analyzed AI technologies, the evolution of surgical robotics products and globalization opportunities for Chinese companies from the perspectives of industry research and capital markets.

Zheng said that as installed systems and procedure volumes increase, surgical robotics revenue models are likely to extend further toward “equipment + consumables + services.”

He also noted that overseas commercialization places greater demands on product capabilities, clinical data, distribution channels and service capabilities.

The final industry roundtable of the morning was themed “Different Tracks, Similar Cycles — How Can Surgical Robotics Companies Navigate the Growth Stage?” and was moderated by Zhao Qing, Editor-in-Chief of MedRobot.

Participants included:

He Juying, Co-Head of Research and Development at China Securities, Chief Analyst for Global Healthcare and Industry, and Executive Dean of the Future Industries and Policy Research Institute;

Qiu Chunmei, Executive Director at Eight Roads Capital;

Lou Min, Senior Marketing Director for China at Intuitive Fosun;

Wang Lifeng, CEO of YakeBot; the company’s official English name is YakeBot.

Xie Weiguo, CEO of Weide Precision;

and Cui Di, CEO of Dishi Medical.

The six panelists represented investment institutions, established surgical robotics companies and innovative companies from different segments.

They discussed the industry’s current stage of development, commercialization, clinical utilization, product iteration and the next wave of growth.

Although the development stages of individual segments differ, the panel agreed that all companies need to address issues including clinical demand, affordability, standardization of procedures and cost-effectiveness.

Investment institutions, in particular, are paying attention to how essential the clinical need is, the extent of payment coverage and the degree of procedural standardization.

Exhibition Area: Bringing Clinical, R&D and Technology Transfer Resources Together

The conference exhibition area consisted of 76 display panels featuring surgical robotic systems, core components, professional service providers, as well as innovation projects from hospitals and universities.

For the medical-engineering collaboration and technology-transfer topics discussed during the morning sessions, the exhibition area provided a physical setting for direct connections.

Physicians could learn about products and technologies under development, university teams could present project progress, corporate R&D teams could hear clinical needs directly, while technology-transfer and industry service organizations could discuss intellectual property, registration, financing and industrial cooperation with project teams.

R&D and Supply Chain Forum: How Can Products Become Easier to Use and More Sustainable?

The afternoon Surgical Robotics R&D and Supply Chain Forum was themed “From Hospital Economics to Product Costs — How Can Surgical Robotics Achieve Sustainable Development?”

Zhao Qing, Editor-in-Chief of MedRobot, first delivered a presentation titled “From Equipment Prices to Cost per Procedure: How Is the Surgical Robotics Business Model Changing?”

He extended the discussion from equipment procurement prices to cost per procedure, equipment utilization and business models.

Zhao proposed that commercialization of surgical robots requires companies to calculate four sets of economics simultaneously: those of companies, hospitals, patients and government payers.

Hospital decisions also involve specialty development, physician development and technical capabilities. As charging policies gradually become clearer, companies need to further balance product reliability, equipment utilization and cost per procedure.

During the supply-chain session, Bai Wei, Vice President of ATI/Novanta Asia Pacific, delivered a presentation titled “Precision Motion Control + Force Sensing: Novanta Core Components for Surgical Robotics.”

He introduced the application of precision motion control, force sensing and other core components in surgical robotic systems.

Bai said surgical robots place high requirements on accuracy, stability, real-time feedback and force-control capabilities, while related components are also moving toward miniaturization and higher precision.

For Chinese companies entering global markets, he added, upstream suppliers need not only to provide components that comply with the standards of target markets, but also to offer local technical support and after-sales capabilities.

According to the presentation, Novanta provides precision motion-control solutions covering major surgical robotics scenarios, with core components spanning robotic arms, surgical tables and surgeon consoles.

These include precision encoders, miniature drives, force sensors and motors.

Through high-precision and high-reliability components, these solutions can support precise and safe operation in minimally invasive surgical robotics and contribute to full-system R&D and industrialization.

Gu Xin, Cybersecurity Technical Lead at CSA Group, delivered a presentation titled “Overview of Cybersecurity Requirements for Medical Robots.”

He reviewed cybersecurity requirements facing medical robots and related issues during product development.

Medical robots include consoles, robotic arms, imaging platforms and multiple communication interfaces, and they are also connected with hospital information systems.

Gu noted that cybersecurity therefore needs to cover the full product lifecycle, including design, verification, vulnerability management and post-market maintenance.

The United States, European Union, China and Japan have all established corresponding regulatory requirements, making cybersecurity an issue that needs to be considered alongside product development and global registration.

The following R&D and clinical roundtable was themed “From R&D to Clinical Practice — How Can Surgical Robots Be Made Easier to Use?” and was moderated by Zhao Qing, Editor-in-Chief of MedRobot.

Participants included:

Ma Yuntao, Director of the General Surgery Clinical Center at Gansu Provincial Hospital;

Su Nan, Associate Chief Physician in Orthopedics at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University;

Zhang Weijun, Chief Engineer at TINAVI;

Wang Junchen, Professor at the Robotics Institute of Beihang University;

and Ding Long, General Manager of Weigao Intelligence.

The participants represented clinical practice, corporate R&D and university research.

They discussed how physician needs can be translated into engineering language, how clinical feedback can enter product iteration, and how surgical robots can adapt to specific procedures and operating workflows after entering the operating room.

The panel noted that for surgical robots to move from being “usable” toward large-scale utilization, challenges remain in operating experience, physician habits, payment and the lengthy cycle of technology transfer.

Hospitals, companies and universities need more continuous feedback mechanisms so that physician needs enter R&D and product iteration earlier.

From Global Clinical Application to Overseas Market Development

Yang Zhongwei, an international market expert and former Vice President of International Sales and Marketing at Aeonmed, delivered a presentation titled “Overseas Market Insights and Expansion Strategies From an Industry Veteran.”

Drawing on long-term overseas market experience, he discussed issues medical device companies need to consider when expanding internationally.

Yang said overseas expansion needs to move away from broad, undifferentiated market coverage toward market segmentation, refined operations and localized implementation.

Companies should select target markets based on their products and resources and establish local teams, localized products and long-term distributor partnerships, rather than treating “obtaining registration” as equivalent to “opening a market.”

The final internationalization roundtable of the first day was themed “Chinese Surgical Robots Going Global — After Registration, How Can They Truly Enter Overseas Hospitals?”

The session was moderated by Fang Chao, Managing Partner at Powerlinks.

Participants included:

Zhang Li, Chief Representative for China at the Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association;

Li Qi, representing the Beijing Medical Robotics Industry Innovation Center;

Zhang Dazhi, representing Tuodao Medical;

Yu Tie, General Manager of the International Business Department at C&D Emerging Healthcare Group;

Le Lei, Senior Director of Strategy and Business Development at Ronovo Surgical; Ronovo Surgical is the company’s official English name.

and Yang Zhongwei, international market expert and former Vice President of International Sales and Marketing at Aeonmed.

The roundtable focused specifically on what happens after registration: how companies can find their first hospitals and physicians, how to establish local distribution and service capabilities, and how to adapt to procurement, market-access and clinical-training requirements in different markets.

Panelists discussed the need to select target markets in stages according to a company’s development stage and available resources.

Companies may first accumulate regulatory, channel and commercialization experience in emerging markets before gradually moving into mature European and U.S. markets.

Actual market entry also depends on local teams, channel services and supply-chain support, requiring companies to establish long-term localized operating capabilities.

The second day moved further into clinical translation and hospital application: how physicians and companies jointly define products, how hospitals and universities promote technology transfer, how equipment is managed after entering hospitals, and how payment, clinical training and equipment-acquisition models affect sustained utilization.

Medical-Engineering Integration: From Clinical Problems to Products and Technology Transfer

The 9th Zhongguancun Medical Technology Transfer Forum was held in the morning under the theme “Medical-Engineering Integration — How Physicians and Companies Can Jointly Develop Products, Research and Technology Transfer.”

Zhao Qing, Editor-in-Chief of MedRobot, presented “New Opportunities for Medical-Engineering Collaboration in the Surgical Robotics Era.”

He discussed the stage of development of the surgical robotics industry and the new tasks facing medical-engineering collaboration.

Zhao said such collaboration needs to run through the entire process of clinical validation, product iteration, data accumulation and physician training.

Different stages of product development require participation from different types of clinical experts, while physician experience should be converted into reusable R&D knowledge to support continued iteration of instruments, consumables and software around robotic platforms.

Cui Liang, Chief Physician at Civil Aviation General Hospital and Peking University Civil Aviation School of Clinical Medicine, as well as Co-Founder, Director and Medical Advisor of Harbin Sagebot Intelligent Medical Equipment, delivered a presentation titled “From the Operating Table to the R&D Line: Breaking Barriers and Reconstructing the Role of Clinical Experts in Co-Creating Robotic Products.”

He discussed how physicians can participate in the co-creation of surgical robotics products based on both clinical and industry experience.

Cui said physicians should participate in product definition starting from clinical pain points and remain involved throughout preclinical design, clinical validation and post-market data accumulation.

He also said Chinese surgical robotic systems need systematic evidence-based evaluation frameworks, using approaches such as ergonomics research, clinical studies and long-term follow-up to verify product value.

Li Yingjun, Founder and General Manager of Beijing Tonghe Litai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., delivered a presentation titled “A New Stage in China’s Surgical Robotics Industry — Clinical Training and Global Expansion.”

He focused on clinical training and overseas market development.

Li said competition in surgical robotics is shifting from equipment delivery toward clinical capability delivery, and evaluation should increasingly move from installed-system numbers toward the number of independent surgeons and actual procedure volume.

Companies need to move training earlier in the process and establish regional training centers, demonstration hospitals and local physician education networks to support both scaled domestic application and overseas market entry.

During the technology-transfer session, Xu Beibei, Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Department at Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, presented “The Role of Medical Institutions in Advancing Robotics and Other Medical Industries.”

She discussed how clinical resources, research management and industrial translation can be connected within medical institutions.

Xu said Tiantan Hospital has established an innovation system covering idea discovery, clinical research, technology transfer and startup incubation, and has conducted joint R&D with more than 400 companies.

The hospital also uses mechanisms including proof-of-concept programs, translational laboratories, intellectual-property allocation and expert entrepreneurship to move clinical needs more quickly into R&D and industrial translation.

Zhang Shenghai, General Manager of the Capital Medical University Science and Technology Park, presented “The Development and Outlook of Technology Transfer at Capital Medical University.”

He introduced the university’s experience and future direction in technology transfer.

According to Zhang, Capital Medical University completed 953 technology-transfer projects over the past five years and has established a system covering project screening, patent evaluation, proof-of-concept, industrial matching and fund support.

The university currently has a technology manager team of more than 90 people and uses proof-of-concept funds and industry funds to further support early-stage projects.

Medical-Engineering Collaboration Roundtable: How Can Innovation Begin With a Clinical Problem?

The morning medical-engineering collaboration and technology-transfer roundtable was themed “Starting With a Clinical Problem: How Can Medical and Engineering Teams Innovate Together?”

The session was moderated by Dong Zheng, a senior healthcare industry moderator.

Participants included:

Jin Yan, Director of the Technology Transfer Office at the Research Department of Peking University People’s Hospital;

Zhong Hao, Deputy Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University;

Xu Tengfei, Senior Technology Manager, Associate Researcher and Senior Engineer at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University;

Han Long, Vice President of the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society (AIRS) and Founder of Chuangjie Medical;

Guo Runqi, Associate Chief Physician at the Minimally Invasive Oncology Center of Beijing Hospital and the National Center for Geriatric Medicine;

and Li Haiyuan, Tenured Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

The six panelists represented hospital technology-transfer departments, clinical departments, universities, research institutions and startup companies.

They discussed how clinical problems can be accurately defined, how physicians and engineers can communicate effectively, how intellectual property and ownership of outcomes should be handled, and how projects can move out of laboratories and complete industrial translation.

The panel said technology transfer should begin with real clinical problems and patient benefit, while intellectual-property assessment, technical feasibility and market-value assessment should begin early in the project.

Medical-engineering teams and companies need to participate early, clarify rights, responsibilities, interests and resource commitments, and use professional technology managers and hospital incubation mechanisms to improve transfer efficiency.

Following the roundtable, the conference held the Robotic Surgery Public Education Contribution Award ceremony as part of the Global Surgical Robotics Awards 2026.

The award-winning physicians have long used channels such as Douyin and WeChat public accounts to provide public education and help patients and the public better understand diseases, treatment options and the clinical application of robotic surgery.

Wang Xiaohui of Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, representing the award-winning physicians, delivered remarks and shared his experience and thoughts on robotic surgery public education.

New Rules, New Markets: Practical Issues After Surgical Robots Enter Hospitals

The afternoon Policy, Hospital and Global Market Forum was themed “New Rules, New Markets — How Surgical Robots Move From Products to Real Clinical Use and Sustainable Growth.”

Zhong Min, Co-Founder of Kangbing Medical, delivered a presentation titled “Opportunities and Challenges for Surgical Robotics in the Post-Pricing-Guideline Era.”

She analyzed charging and clinical-use issues facing surgical robots following the release of the pricing guidelines for medical services involving surgical and therapeutic assistance technologies.

Zhong said the guidelines have established classification frameworks including assistance, navigation, precision and remote operation based on the level of robotic-arm participation, providing a unified basis for pricing.

According to her presentation, 25 provinces have already released corresponding pricing guidance.

However, detailed implementation issues involving technology classification, item stacking, charges for supporting consumables and data requirements still require further clarification.

Zhang Lulu, Director of the Department of Medical Engineering at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, delivered a presentation titled “Lifecycle Management of Surgical Robots in Medical Institutions.”

She discussed issues hospitals need to consider in evaluation, introduction, installation, use, maintenance and benefit assessment from the perspective of medical engineering management.

Zhang said hospital management of surgical robots is expanding from procurement toward lifecycle evaluation covering clinical outcomes, equipment utilization, economic benefits and service support.

At her hospital, three categories of surgical robots completed a combined 428 procedures in the first half of 2026.

Beijing is also advancing a surgical robot utilization evaluation project to provide quantitative references for future procurement, leasing and management decisions.

Liao Zangyi, Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Head of the Department of Public Administration at China University of Political Science and Law, delivered a presentation titled “Trends in Surgical Robotics Innovation Under DRG.”

He discussed changes in clinical application, cost management and innovation under diagnosis-related group payment.

Liao said DRG/DIP mechanisms are responding to medical technology innovation through more refined grouping and differentiated payment arrangements, while the clinical value of surgical robotics will increasingly be subject to combined evaluation of economic performance, safety and effectiveness.

For both companies and hospitals, greater attention will therefore need to be paid to the relationship between clinical value and cost.

Sun Chen, Head of Healthcare Business at Beijing Robot Financing Leasing Co., Ltd., presented “From Equipment to Services — Innovative Practices in Surgical Robot Leasing.”

He introduced leasing models designed to reduce barriers to equipment acquisition, support hospital utilization and provide continued services.

Through fixed-period leasing or settlement based on actual surgical case volume, hospitals can reduce one-time equipment investment while incorporating maintenance, upgrades and training into lifecycle services.

According to the presentation, 13 surgical robots have entered hospitals in Beijing through leasing arrangements, providing another route for faster hospital access and sustained utilization.

After Surgical Robots Enter Hospitals, How Can They Move Toward Stable Utilization?

The final hospital application roundtable was themed “After Surgical Robots Enter Hospitals — How Can They Move From the First Case to Stable Utilization?”

The session was moderated by Fang Chao, Managing Partner at Powerlinks.

Participants included:

Liao Cangyi, Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor and Head of the Department of Public Administration at China University of Political Science and Law;

Zhang Lulu, Director of the Department of Medical Engineering at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University;

Zhong Min, Co-Founder of Kangbing Medical;

Lu Chen, surgical robotics training expert;

and Wei Xinyu, representing the WeChat public account “Medical Affairs Colleagues.”

The roundtable started from the real-world application of surgical robots after they enter hospitals.

Participants discussed how hospitals conduct preliminary evaluation and coordinate departments, how the first group of physicians receives training, how stable case volumes can be developed after the first procedure, and how charging and payment, equipment costs, clinical value and operational management can be balanced.

Panelists said hospitals need to consider clinical demand, specialty development, patient benefit and operating costs when introducing surgical robots.

Procurement is only the first step toward clinical application.

As payment and evaluation systems improve, sustained utilization will increasingly depend on real procedure volumes, clinical outcomes and real-world data.

Hospitals and companies will need to continue optimizing utilization and operating models based on these results.

The two-day 4th Global Medical Robotics Conference concluded with the end of this session.

See you in Beijing in September 2027!

September 17, 2026