ZhilianhaiMedical Robotics: Surgical Systems Grow While Rehabilitation Lags
Two very different sub-markets
Surgical robotics is dominated by a small number of systems with large installed bases and recurring instrument revenue. Rehabilitation and assistive robotics, by contrast, has many products and fragmented demand, because the payer is often a health system or an insurer rather than the patient.
| Segment | Business model | Main barrier |
|---|---|---|
| Surgical | Capital plus consumables per procedure | Hospital capital cycle, training |
| Rehabilitation | Device sale or lease | Reimbursement pathways |
| Hospital logistics | Service contract | Integration with existing systems |
| Care and social | Public procurement | Staffing and acceptance |
The regulatory gate
Medical devices clear clinical and regulatory hurdles before commercial ones. Timelines in the United States and Europe are measured in years, and design changes after clearance are expensive. For suppliers, the regulatory strategy is the product strategy.