12 things you need to know about the global surgical robotics market

The surgical robotics market is an exciting, fast-growing, multibillion-dollar sector of the medical device industry, according to MassDevice’s Medtech Market Intelligence Report.

Here are 12 high-level insights from the report:

1.Valued at billions of dollars, the global surgical robotics market is expected to double in value over the rest of the decade.

2.Intuitive Surgical, the leader in the industry, is expected to maintain market dominance over the forecast period (2024–2029).

3.The potential for growth is significant, and the global market is underpenetrated (in the U.S. alone, of the 10 million major operating procedures performed annually, only 2.5% are robotic-assisted).

4.Drivers of the surgical robotics market include the demand for minimally invasive surgery; the ability of surgical robotics to provide consistent outcomes, increase procedural efficiency, and decrease surgical staffing requirements; the aging of the population and the global burden of disease; and advancements in robotic surgery technology.

5.Current clinical applications for robotic surgery include soft tissue applications (such as general surgery, gynecology and urology) as well as orthopedics, brain and spine procedures.

6.Intuitive Surgical is continuing global launch of its newest product, the da Vinci 5,a multiport system that was launched first in the U.S. in 2024 and then internationally.

7.To compete with Intuitive Surgical in the U.S., Medtronic and Johnson are planning to launch their own soft tissue robotic surgery systems. Medtronic’s Hugo is awaiting FDA approval. Johnson & Johnson’s Ottava system is under development and currently is being studied in a U.S. investigational device exemption clinical trial involving gastric bypass surgery.

8.Research is advancing to create high-level autonomous robotic surgery systems that can adapt, plan and execute surgical tasks independently, especially in non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures.

9.Stryker is the leading competitor in surgical robotic systems for orthopedic and spine applications. The company competes with its Mako system, which was initially approved in the US in 2010 for hip replacement procedures.

10.Advanced technologies such as AI, haptic feedback, automation and augmented reality are increasing the capabilities of robotic systems.

11.Companies are targeting ambulatory surgery centers as a growing market segment.

12.Hospital capital budget constraints may pose a challenge to the surgical robotics market in the coming years.