Robotics Daily News: UK's NHS to Integrate Robotic Surgery in 10-Year Reform Plan

UK's NHS to Integrate Robotic Surgery in 10-Year Reform Plan

UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced that robotic technology will be central to the government's forthcoming 10-year plan to reform the NHS. The plan aims to improve productivity and patient outcomes by mandating increased use of robot-assisted surgeries—targeting that one in eight operations will be robot-performed within a decade, up from the current one in sixty. Hospitals that do not adopt this technology risk financial penalties under an expanded 'best practice tariffs' system. Robotics will be introduced across various specialties including urology, gynaecology, and ENT. The strategy also includes deploying automation in NHS pharmacies and administrative tasks. Additionally, ambient voice technology powered by AI will be rolled out to assist doctors in clinical documentation, potentially boosting productivity by 20%. However, concerns about data privacy and non-compliant software use persist. A new workforce strategy will follow, focusing on adapting skills and deployment in line with these technological reforms. Despite excitement over innovation, health leaders caution that flat capital funding may hamper implementation, and stress the need for central investment to avoid widening disparities across NHS trusts. Streeting emphasized that these reforms are critical to preserving the NHS as a viable, publicly funded service. (ft.com)

China's Humanoid Robots Outshine National Soccer Team

In Beijing, humanoid robot soccer teams have captivated audiences, surpassing the excitement generated by China's underperforming national men's soccer team. On Saturday, four university teams competed in China's first fully autonomous 3-on-3 robot soccer tournament, driven entirely by artificial intelligence without human intervention. The event served as a preview for the upcoming World Humanoid Robot Games. The matches showcased advanced AI technologies, including visual recognition, field navigation, and autonomous decision-making. Despite occasional malfunctions requiring stretcher assistance, the robots demonstrated impressive realism and agility. Booster Robotics provided the robot hardware, while each university team developed their own algorithms for perception, strategy, and play execution. Tsinghua University's THU Robotics emerged as the champion, defeating China Agricultural University's Mountain Sea team 5-3. Booster Robotics CEO Cheng Hao emphasized the importance of safety in human-robot interactions and envisions future matches involving both humans and robots to build public trust. This event underscores China's growing investment in AI-powered humanoid robots, using sports as a testing ground for real-world applications. (apnews.com)

CMR Surgical Faces Challenges Amidst Global Competition

CMR Surgical, a leading UK surgical robotics company based near Ely, Cambridgeshire, has developed the Versius system, a modular robotic technology for keyhole surgery. The system, with four robotic arms and a 3D-vision console, competes with the globally dominant da Vinci robots from US-based Intuitive Surgical. Despite CMR raising nearly $1 billion and being valued at $3 billion, it faces tough competition in a surgical robotics industry projected to reach $14 billion by next year. With fewer than 200 Versius units installed to date compared to 10,000 da Vinci systems, CMR is in a crucial growth phase and reported a £130 million loss in 2024. The company may consider selling rather than challenging Intuitive directly, potentially prioritizing short-term gains over long-term ambition. However, new CEO Massimiliano Colella remains optimistic about a path to profitability and US market expansion. The debate continues over whether UK tech firms like CMR can maintain independence and scale globally, or risk being acquired like other promising British startups. (ft.com)

China's AI-Powered Humanoid Robots Aim to Transform Manufacturing

China is advancing its use of AI-powered humanoid robots to transform the manufacturing sector amid economic challenges like trade tensions, population decline, and slower growth. Startups like AgiBot and MagicLab, backed by government support, are deploying robots capable of performing complex tasks including assembly and quality control. These robots are trained with specially collected datasets, emphasizing embodied AI that requires interaction with the physical world. The government provides significant subsidies, with over $20 billion allocated and municipal programs offering financial and operational benefits to robot firms. President Xi Jinping has highlighted humanoid robots’ strategic importance, and state procurement of such technology rose dramatically from 4.7 million yuan in 2023 to 214 million yuan in 2024. With a robust supply chain for robot components, China can lower production costs, offering robots as low as $12,000. Investments from major companies and integration with advanced AI models like DeepSeek, Qwen, and Doubao further enhance capabilities. However, concerns about job disruption persist. Legislators have proposed unemployment insurance schemes and emphasized robots focusing on undesirable or hazardous tasks. Humanoid robots also play a role in elder care, supported by new initiatives such as Ant Group’s Ant Lingbo Technology. Analysts predict significant expansion, with potential global sales reaching one million units by 2030. (reuters.com)

US Manufacturing Relies on Imported Robots Amid Automation Push

The Trump administration is advocating for a revitalization of U.S. manufacturing through automation and an enhanced workforce. However, the success of this initiative currently relies heavily on foreign-made industrial robots, as the majority used in American factories are imported. Despite America's historical leadership in robotics, with roots dating back to the first industrial robot in 1961, it now lags behind rapidly advancing countries like China, which prioritizes robotics under the 'Made in China 2025' initiative. While the U.S. auto industry is already highly automated, broader re-shoring efforts face challenges due to decades of underinvestment in domestic manufacturing infrastructure. The administration acknowledges the need for substantial initial investment in equipment like robots, though it aims to mitigate costs through newly passed tax incentives. Meanwhile, several American companies—such as Agility, Apptronik, Figure, and Tesla—are innovating next-generation humanoid robots in hopes of boosting domestic manufacturing capabilities in the future. (axios.com)