Kerun China: Smart Micro-Future | The Clinical Trial Launch and Successful Patient Enrollment Ceremony for the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot Was Successfully Held During the 2023 COA

On the afternoon of November 24, 2023, the “Kerun China: Smart Micro-Future—Clinical Trial Launch and Successful Patient Enrollment Ceremony for the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot, Together with the Unveiling Event for Huake Run’s Comprehensive Digital Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Solution” was successfully held in Xi’an during the 22nd Orthopaedic Academic Conference of the Chinese Medical Association and the 15th COA Academic Congress. Attending the event and delivering remarks were Professor Wang Kunzheng, Incoming Chairman of the Orthopaedic Branch of the Chinese Medical Association and Director of the Department of Orthopaedics at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University; Professor Feng Shiqing, President of the Second Hospital of Shandong University; Professor Zhou Yue, former Director of the Department of Orthopaedics at the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Army Medical University (Xinqiao Hospital); Professor Zhao Bin, President of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University; Professor Xie Xiangtao, Vice President of Liuzhou Workers’ Hospital; Professor Zhao Yingchuan, Associate Chief Physician at the Tenth People’s Hospital of Shanghai; and Mr. Ma Yan, Chairman of Ningbo Huake Run Biotechnology Co., Ltd. and Sino-European Zhiwei (Shanghai) Robotics Co., Ltd.

▲ Kerun China: Smart Micro-Future—Inaugural Ceremony for the Clinical Trial of the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot and Successful Patient Enrollment, Alongside the Launch Event for Huake Run’s Comprehensive Digital Minimally Invasive Orthopedic Solution

In his address, Professor Wang Kunzheng stated that digitalization and intelligentization represent the future development trend of the orthopedic field. The “small, fast, and agile” characteristics of the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot embody a new robotic system that aligns with this trend. He expressed confidence that, under the leadership of numerous clinical experts, the Woodpecker Robot will drive the advancement of artificial intelligence in Chinese spinal surgery.

Professor Feng Shiqing extended warm congratulations on the official launch of the clinical trial for the Intelligent Woodpecker miniaturized spinal surgery robot, commending its compact footprint, lightweight design, and high operational versatility. He noted that the product has now officially entered the clinical research phase and expressed his hope that the Woodpecker robot will, in the future, better serve patients and be increasingly applied to the treatment of complex and challenging clinical conditions.

In his address, Professor Zhou Yue expressed his great pleasure at attending the launch ceremony of the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot at the HUST Run exhibition booth. Professor Zhou pointed out that the Woodpecker robot differs from conventional orthopedic robots currently available on the market in that it is more precise, lightweight, and agile, thereby bringing new digital and intelligent technologies to the field of orthopedic robotics. He also extended his best wishes for the early clinical application of this product, so that it can better serve our clinicians and patients.

In his address, Professor Zhao Bin expressed his delight that the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University has been given the opportunity to join the clinical research team for the Intelligent Woodpecker spinal surgery robot, and he pledged to make further efforts in the conduct of the robot’s clinical trials, with the aim of accelerating its market launch, enabling more patients to benefit, and contributing the hospital’s expertise to the continued advancement of orthopedic robotics in China.

▲ Address by Professor Zhao Bin

Professor Xie Xiangtao expressed his great satisfaction that Liuzhou Workers’ Hospital has been selected as one of the four institutions to conduct clinical research on the Intelligent Woodpecker miniaturized spinal surgery robot. Professor Xie noted that the Woodpecker robot boasts a compact footprint, lightweight design, simple installation, and high practicality, which can significantly reduce operative time. He sincerely hopes that the project will be launched promptly and completed successfully.

Professor Zhao Yingchuan, on behalf of the Tenth People’s Hospital of Shanghai, extended his congratulations on the successful launch and enrollment of the clinical trial for the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot. He commended the robot’s outstanding advantages—its compact size, rapid execution, and high maneuverability—and expressed his hope that the product will be approved for market release at an early date, thereby benefiting patients with spinal disorders.

Chairman Ma Yan expressed his sincere gratitude to all the experts for attending the event, and noted that the phased successes of Woodpecker Robotics would not have been possible without the strong support of various clinical institutions. As an innovative miniature robot, it boasts numerous advantages—including its small size, light weight, and ease of operation—enabling it to provide superior navigation-assisted surgical robotic systems to hospitals at or above the county level. Meanwhile, Zhongou Zhiwei and its parent company, Huake Run, will work to achieve functional integration and mutual empowerment between surgical robots and other product lines, thereby delivering a “smart digital spinal ecosystem” to numerous hospitals and benefiting more patients.

Subsequently, during the online lecture on new robotic-assisted spinal surgery techniques, Professor Wu Dongjin from the Second Hospital of Shandong University and Professor Zhuo Xianglong from Liuzhou Workers’ Hospital delivered outstanding virtual academic presentations. They provided a detailed explanation of what SPACE X represents in the field of minimally invasive orthopedics, elaborated on the design principles and technical features of miniature spinal robots, and comprehensively showcased their clinical applications in minimally invasive spinal surgery.

The entire event was simultaneously livestreamed on the Haoyishu platform and the Huake Run professional education platform—Bone Dance. This public-service lecture drew more than 10,000 orthopedic colleagues participating online. The attending experts provided an in-depth overview of the technical advantages and clinical applications of microspinal surgical robots, comprehensively showcasing the innovative features of the Intelligent Woodpecker microspinal surgical robot and opening up new avenues for the development and promotion of the concept of digital-intelligent micro-robotics.

The Intelligent Woodpecker miniaturized spinal surgery robot was developed by Sino-European Zhiwei (Shanghai) Robotics Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Huake Run. Under the guidance of several leading experts in spinal surgery, the device has completed research and development, regulatory registration testing, and multiple preclinical studies. Currently, the Woodpecker robot has entered the clinical trial phase, with the Second Hospital of Shandong University serving as the principal investigator site, and the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, and Liuzhou Workers’ Hospital acting as clinical sub-centers. As of the date of this event, the project has officially commenced at the Second Hospital of Shandong University, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, and Liuzhou Workers’ Hospital, and, under the leadership of Professor Feng Shiqing and Professor Wu Dongjin’s teams at the Second Hospital of Shandong University, the first patient in the experimental group has been successfully enrolled.

Kerun China, Smart Future. The launch of the clinical trial for the Intelligent Woodpecker Miniature Spinal Surgery Robot and the successful enrollment of patients in the experimental group mark a solid step forward for Huake Run and Sino-European Zhiwei on the path toward digital and intelligent minimally invasive orthopedics. Moving forward, we will continue to strive for excellence, constantly enhance our product R&D capabilities, and work closely with clinical experts and partners to sustain the digitalization and intelligentization of minimally invasive orthopedics, leveraging technological innovation to jointly build a Healthy China.