TOKYO: Medicaroid Corp. said Tuesday it has become the first Japanese company to receive health ministry approval to manufacture and sell a robotic-assisted surgery system.

The approval was granted on Friday, said the medical robot maker, based in the western city of Kobe.

The company plans to start selling the hinotori surgical system in Japan by the end of this month.

The system has four arms equipped with an endoscope and other surgical instruments. A surgeon controls the system remotely using an equipment away from a surgical table, while viewing 3D images from an endoscope.

The company plans to sell the system for treatment of prostate cancer and other urology diseases initially, aiming to expand to other areas. It hopes to launch the system overseas in two to three years.

The US-made da Vinci currently dominates the robotic surgery system in Japan. Many hospitals are finding it difficult to introduce it due to its high prices and maintenance costs.

“We’ll offer our system at reasonable prices to help hospitals,” Medicaroid President Kaoru Asano told a press conference.

JIJI Press