Shanghai, China, 21 May 2025 - MicroPort® OrthoBot, a wholly owned subsidiary of MicroPort® MedBot™ (2252.HK), announced that its SkyWalker® Orthopedic Surgical Robot (SkyWalker®) has been included in the Early Value Assessment (EVA) guidance on robot-assisted surgery for orthopedic procedures issued by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). SkyWalker® is one of six robotic systems recommended for clinical use within the National Health Service (NHS).
This recommendation marks a significant milestone for SkyWalker®, demonstrating its clinical potential in improving orthopedic surgical care. The NICE guidance supports the use of robotic systems for total and partial knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty, with the goal of improving surgical precision, minimizing complications, and enhancing patient recovery. Over the next three years, NICE will collect further clinical and economic evidence to evaluate the long-term value of these systems.
Dr. Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director of NICE’s HealthTech programme, stated:
“These innovative technologies have the potential to transform both soft tissue and orthopedic surgical care in the NHS. The data gathered over the next three years will allow us to evaluate exactly how these technologies can improve patient care and help ensure NHS resources are directed toward interventions that deliver meaningful clinical benefits and long-term value to our health service”.
The NICE committee also highlighted several important considerations for implementing robot-assisted surgery services, including the need to ensure equitable access across different regions. Current data shows a lower uptake of minimally invasive surgery in more deprived areas of the UK. Additionally, the availability of training, resources and staff to support these services will require careful planning to ensure successful deployment.
SkyWalker® integrates intelligent planning software, real-time navigation, and a lightweight, high-precision robotic arm. The system supports personalized preoperative plans and enables accurate bone cutting during joint replacement procedures. A clinical study with one-year follow-up data published in 2023 demonstrated that the SkyWalker® robot performed comparably to the field’s leading robot in terms of lower limb alignment accuracy, operation time, blood loss, and results of postoperative clinical and functional knee assessment at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups. 1
To date, SkyWalker® has been used in over 2,000 total knee arthroplasty (TKA) procedures worldwide, and is currently deployed in more than 90 hospitals across more than 20 countries, including China, US, the EU and Brazil.
The inclusion of SkyWalker® in NICE’s guidance underscores MicroPort® MedBot™’s ongoing commitment to advancing high-performance, intelligent surgical solutions to clinicians and patients around the world.
About MicroPort® MedBot™
Commenced its development for laparoscopic surgery robots in 2014, and officially established in Shanghai in 2015, Shanghai MicroPort MedBot (Group) Co., Ltd. ("MicroPort® MedBot™", stock code: 02252.HK), a subsidiary of MicroPort Scientific Corporation ("MicroPort®", stock code: 00853.HK), is currently the only surgical robot company in the world with businesses covering five promising subsectors of surgical robots, including endoscopy, orthopedics, vascular intervention, natural orifice surgery, and percutaneous puncture. At MicroPort® MedBot™, we are committed to meeting the growing demand for cutting-edge robotic surgery. By integrating advanced research on robotics, control algorithms, image-based navigation, and precision imaging, we provide comprehensive intelligent surgical solutions to prolong and reshape the lives of patients, lead the advancement of robotic surgery, and shape the era of intelligent surgery.
More information is available at: www.medbotsurgical.com/en
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