The robots are coming to medtech: Where's the value?

As each medtech manufacturer gears up to bring robots to surgery, they’ll need to create an outcomes-oriented value story in order to compete.

Medtronic Mazor X Stealth robot-assisted surgery robots

Medtronic in December 2018 closed on its $1.7 billion purchase of Mazor Robotics and its robot-assisted surgery platform for the spine, launching its Mazor X Stealth platform in the U.S. a month later. [Image courtesy of Medtronic]

Will Randall, ZS

The biggest medtech headlines so far in 2019 tell a consistent story: The robots are coming.

From Medtronic’s $1.6 billion acquisition of Mazor in late December to Johnson & Johnson dropping $3.4 billion to acquire Auris Health in the first quarter, many major players are making significant investments in robotics. T

The robot-assisted surgery market is estimated to reach $5.6 billion by 2025, according to Grand View Research. The market is poised for explosive growth, and for good reason: Robotic innovations are dramatically reshaping the practice of surgery, with the potential to be leveraged from diagnosis to incision.

As more players enter the robotics space, successful differentiation and sustained growth will not come from the features and benefits of a given robot alone. The full shift toward robotics will become imperative if health providers can realize benefits including reduced hours in operating rooms, lower readmission rates, better recovery times and less post-surgery trauma.

Get the full story on our sister site Medical Design & Outsourcing.