godfather of surgery

Chapter 1187 Core Technologies

Furthermore, Dean Xia also consulted Yang Ping's opinion, and Yang Ping naturally agreed to establish this remote surgery center. In the future, patients can perform surgeries in other places without leaving their homes, extending the institute's technology outwards without spatial distance.

However, while the idea is good, putting it into practice is not so easy. In addition to preparing the hardware equipment, Sanbo Hospital also needs to hold regular training courses to train the doctors in the network hospitals so that they can master the use of the surgical robot and at least be able to be qualified assistants during surgery.

Otherwise, if an accident occurs and the surgeon is in a different location, the doctor next to the patient will be unable to handle the situation and will be forced to watch the tragedy unfold.

Another major issue is the need to establish a comprehensive system to determine which surgeries require the assistance of telemedicine systems, the indications for remote surgery, and how responsibilities should be divided, among other things.

Without a sound system to manage this, lower-level hospitals frequently use remote surgery systems, leaving doctors in higher-level hospitals exhausted and lower-level doctors without opportunities for training. Sometimes, in order to shirk responsibility, lower-level hospitals will request remote surgery support for critically ill patients. Over time, doctors in lower-level hospitals will lose their due independence and sense of responsibility.

However, these are not problems. We can improve as we go, and eventually we will be able to figure out a complete system. If we wait until the system is perfect before establishing a remote surgery center, who knows when that will be?

Robotic surgery is very expensive, and reducing costs is the biggest challenge in terms of hardware for popularizing surgical robots.

Costs haven't decreased; surgical robots are too expensive to be widely adopted.

Huang Jiacai is now gathering the company's senior executives to consider how to reduce costs. Order volume is not a problem now. If we follow the model of international giants, the super remote surgery center can only serve the rich and cannot serve ordinary people because the high cost of surgery is not affordable for ordinary people.

As for costs, they will definitely decrease gradually as order volume increases, but it is impossible to reduce them significantly all at once. After all, the initial R&D investment is huge, and if it cannot be recovered on time, it will be difficult to continue R&D iteration.

Huang Jiacai pondered whether it was possible to develop two types of surgical instruments. Surgical robots are relatively expensive, not only because the machines are expensive, but also because the consumables are very expensive. The accompanying surgical instruments have a limited number of uses, and they cannot be used after the number of surgeries has been exceeded.

He wondered if it would be possible to offer two types of consumables: one that could be used multiple times and one that could be used only once. This way, wealthy people who didn't care about the cost could choose the disposable one, while those with limited financial means could choose the multi-use one. With these two different prices, it would ensure that those with limited financial means could also use the product, while also providing a higher-priced option for the wealthy. This approach was clearly more conducive to widespread adoption than simply offering a single high-priced option.

Moreover, Huang Jiacai decided that the surgical robot and its supporting consumables would be priced higher abroad than in China. This price differentiation would help to recover the research and development costs as soon as possible, while also providing some economic support to domestic patients.

Huang Jiacai needs to have the company study the specifics of how to implement it carefully, and it would be best to conduct a detailed market survey before formulating a reasonable price.

The head CT scan of Academician Fang after the operation showed that the hematoma in the brainstem had been completely removed, the slight edema caused by the operation had subsided, the head problem had been completely resolved, and there would be no worries about the future.

He was eager to see what the remote surgical robot that performed the surgery on him looked like; Professor Yang used this machine to save his life from thousands of miles away.

Because of multiple fractures throughout his body, he can only go out in a wheelchair for the time being. Although he can walk under the guidance of a rehabilitation doctor, this is only possible during rehabilitation training. He usually either sits in a wheelchair or uses crutches to help him walk.

In the operating room of the surgical robot, Professor Fang, wearing an isolation gown, met Yang Ping. Yang Ping and Chen Zhi exchanged opinions on the use of the surgical robot. They discussed how products need to be continuously improved during use to become better and better. Standing still makes it easy to be left behind by competitors.

Minor updates are made every year, and major updates are made every three years. This is Ruixing's pace of technological innovation for surgical robots.

In the world of martial arts, speed is the ultimate weapon. The same applies to the high-tech industry. Chinese people are hardworking, and compared to Europeans and Americans who are used to a slower pace, we can use speed to overcome slowness and narrow the gap in certain aspects. Because we started later, we naturally have to put in more effort than others.

While we were still in the Qing Dynasty, others had already entered the industrial age. They had hundreds of years of industrial accumulation, and we need to catch up with them in a few decades. If they take a break, we will also take a break, and it will be very difficult to catch up.

Looking at these busy engineers, Professor Fang deeply understood why they worked so hard; how could they surpass others if they didn't work so hard?

The same was true for the metallurgical industry back then. Core technologies couldn't be bought at all; we could only rely on ourselves to make breakthroughs little by little. These developed countries always wanted to master the most cutting-edge technologies and then use these technological hegemonies to make huge profits, while Chinese factories could only do some low-value-added, high-pollution work.

Thanks to the efforts of China's scientific and technological workers, many technologies have caught up, and a few have even surpassed them. This is all the result of the hard work of scientific and technological workers. There has never been any shortcut; we have only been working while others were drinking coffee.

"What level does this surgical robot reach internationally? How does it compare to similar products abroad?" Professor Fang stroked the machine's casing with obvious delight.

Chen Zhi told him, "Our surgical robot is entirely self-developed, from chips and robotic arms to software and surgical terminal instruments. It is currently at a leading level internationally. Its precision, stability, and durability are all superior to similar products. We can say that we are now fully capable of competing with international giants on the same platform."

Professor Fang, sitting in his wheelchair, was very happy to hear this. Wasn't their hard work precisely to avoid being held hostage by others?

Over the years, he has dealt with European and American countries and has a deep understanding of the tactics of multinational corporations in these developed countries. When they are ahead of you and have mastered core technologies, they talk to you about globalization. So-called globalization is just about making you work for them and do hard labor.

When he discovers that you have also mastered core technologies and have the potential to threaten him, he immediately changes his tune and tries every means to suppress you and eliminate you in the cradle. At this point, he will use any means necessary, including technological blockades and even underhanded tactics, and completely abandons the concept of globalization.

When they possess core technologies, they talk about respecting intellectual property rights; but when you possess core technologies, they try every means to steal them, completely disregarding the concept of intellectual property. In reality, it all boils down to one word—profit—they're just using a fancy rhetoric to mask their true intentions.

"You mean this surgical robot is ahead of developed European countries?"

"That's right!"

"Be careful to keep your technology confidential. They will try every means to steal your core technology and then turn around and blame you."

Professor Fang had learned his lesson in this regard, but he escaped unscathed and suffered no further losses. That was thirty years ago. He and his mentor invented a special method for refining metals. This method produced metals with a purity that was better than the most advanced methods in the world, and at a lower cost.

"At that time, a large mining company in my country was having a technical exchange with a mining giant in the United States. The mentor was not on guard and mentioned this method during the exchange. The American experts said that this method was actually outdated and had flaws. They had more advanced methods, but they could help us evaluate this method and make improvements."

"My supervisor was very pleased and immediately asked me to prepare the materials, to bring all the most detailed technical information, and to have it reviewed by American experts to help improve my skills."

"At the time, I was on guard and realized something was wrong, so I didn't take out my materials. Instead, I secretly pulled my supervisor aside and told him my thoughts. My supervisor suddenly realized what was going on and stopped the so-called exchange in time."

"What happened later proved us right, because we later discovered that the United States could never achieve the same level of refining purity as us. If they really had more advanced technology, they would have shared it long ago. Moreover, they tried to steal our technology several times, but they were unsuccessful."

"Therefore, we must be confident. Of course, we cannot refuse to communicate. When communicating, we must maintain our independence. We must never blindly believe in Europe and America. We should learn from them, but not blindly believe in them."

Professor Fang probably felt that Yang Ping and Chen Zhi were both technical people, and as an elder, he couldn't help but speak up, always wanting to give the younger generation some experience and to prevent them from making the same mistakes he had made.

"Furthermore, you must not believe their so-called 'learning technology through cooperation' claims. That's all a lie. You can't learn core technologies through cooperation. When cooperating, you must maintain independent research and development and never become dependent. They use this dependency to undermine our determination to conduct independent research and development. In the end, we waste time and don't master any core technologies. Think about it, how could they possibly give you the essential skills that people rely on for their livelihood? How could they? 'Teach your apprentice and you'll starve yourself.' Our ancestors understood this principle, but many people in the scientific research community just don't get it."

Why this lecturing again? Professor Fang realized he was a bit too much. He had only come to see the surgical robot, so why was he lecturing the young man with grand principles? But sometimes he couldn't help himself.

How does this robotic arm perform its manipulations?

Although Professor Fang is an expert in metallurgy, he is also very familiar with these mechanical principles. This is because an excellent metallurgical expert not only needs to have chemical knowledge, but also the ability to translate chemical principles into processes, which involves some machinery.

In a surgical robot, the basic operations such as cutting and suturing are performed by a robotic arm that can precisely control the path and force. It directly determines the doctor's operation transmission and feedback. It is necessary to not only perform the operation well, but also have a good feel for it. The robotic arm is also one of the most core components in the design of the robot system.

"We use independently developed electronic control technology. There is no cable connection between the terminal device and the host, but an electronic signal connection. The advantage of this is that the control is more precise, stable and flexible. The disadvantage is that the micro motor of the terminal device is difficult to make, and the electronic signal transmission requires strong anti-interference ability. However, we have solved these technical problems."

The core power source of current mainstream surgical robots comes from linear motors, which directly drive the robotic arms to complete precision movements.

Unlike rotary motors, linear motors do not require gears or transmission belts to convert motion; electrical energy is directly converted into linear displacement with micron-level precision. This working method perfectly meets the stringent requirements for precision and stability in surgical settings.

Professor Fang also considered this possibility. He was very interested in surgical robots and wondered if he could use his expertise to offer some helpful suggestions, such as improvements to the raw materials of certain key components.

"Electromagnetic drive is the foundation of linear motors. We have mastered the most advanced technology in this field. It is by using these technologies that we have made the world's smallest linear motor, and its power far exceeds that of others."

"We have also made breakthroughs in position feedback. The grating ruler or magnetic grating sensor monitors the displacement of the mover in real time. Every micrometer of position change is fed back to the control system. Our surgical robot's main control computer can perform thousands of data comparisons per second and dynamically adjust the current output. Similar products can only perform about a thousand data comparisons per second, while we can do five thousand. This gives us a higher level of correction capability and speed than similar products, so our accuracy has surpassed that of similar products."

"In fact, the choice of materials also directly affects performance. Our mover bracket is made of carbon fiber composite material. This material reduces the weight of moving parts while ensuring strength. Mainstream products currently use this material. The coil uses high-temperature resistant enameled wire, and the insulation layer can still work normally in an environment of 150℃. The surface of the linear motor guide rail is coated with diamond-like coating to reduce the coefficient of friction and reduce energy loss when the robotic arm moves. However, this is our current weakness and is slightly inferior compared to similar products."

In the first few aspects, Ruixing's surgical robot surpasses similar products, but in the last aspect, Ruixing's parameters are slightly inferior to those of similar products.

Materials science is Professor Fang's forte, and he immediately said, "Could you show me the technical data on the materials you just mentioned for the design? You don't need to give me the other data, just show me the materials data. I might be able to help you improve it. For example, the material used for the mover could be a better new material."

"Really?" Chen Zhi asked immediately.

Professor Fang said, "I have a friend who works in materials science. We are collaborating on a new material that has already been mass-produced. I think it is very suitable for some of your components. Also, I think the coil can be improved, the insulation layer can be made to withstand temperatures above 300°C, and I don't know what process you are using for the diamond coating, but perhaps it can also be improved. I can't say anything else."

"Then take the information to Professor Fang for a look," Yang Ping instructed Chen Zhi.