Surgery Godfather

Now, with the efforts of China's scientific and technological workers, many technologies have caught up, and a few have even surpassed. This is all the result of the relentless efforts of the technological workers. There has never been a shortcut, only that while others were drinking coffee, we were working.

"At what level does this surgical robot stand internationally? How does it compare to similar products abroad?" Professor Fang caressed the machine's casing, unable to put it down.

Chen Zhi told him, "Our surgical robot, from the chip, robotic arm, software, to the surgical terminal instruments, etc., are all independently developed. Currently, it is at the leading level internationally, regardless of precision, stability, or durability. We can say that we are fully capable of competing on the same platform with international giants now."

Professor Fang sat in a wheelchair, feeling very pleased after hearing this. Isn't their effort all about not being strangled by others?

Over the years, he had dealt with various countries in Europe and America and had a deep understanding of the tactics of multinational corporations in these developed countries. When they are ahead of you, holding core technology, they talk about globalization, which is essentially having you work hard for them.

When they find out that you also hold core technology and have the potential to threaten them, they immediately change their attitude, trying everything possible to suppress you and eliminate you in the cradle. At this time, technical blockades and even underhanded tactics are employed, completely devoid of globalization concepts.

When they hold core technology, they talk about respecting intellectual property. When you hold core technology, they try every means to steal technology from you, totally disregarding intellectual property concepts.

In fact, it all boils down to one word—profit, just using a set of fancy rhetoric to disguise themselves.

"Do you mean that this surgical robot leads over developed countries in Europe?"

"That's correct!"

"Be cautious about technical confidentiality, they will try every means to steal your core technology and then turn the tables on you."

Professor Fang had suffered losses in this area before but came out unscathed, with no significant losses afterward. That was already thirty years ago when he and his mentor invented a special method for refining metal, which achieved a metal purity higher than the most advanced methods in the world, and at a lower cost.

"At that time, a major Chinese mining company was in technical exchange with a mining giant from the United States. The mentor, having no guard, mentioned this method during the exchange. Back then, American experts said that this method was actually outdated and had flaws and that they had more advanced methods, but they could help us evaluate and improve the method."

"The mentor was very happy, and immediately asked me to prepare the materials and provide the most detailed technical documentation for the American experts' assessment and to help improve it."

"At that time, I was cautious and sensed something was wrong, so I didn't present the materials. I secretly pulled the mentor aside and shared my thoughts. The mentor suddenly realized and immediately ceased the so-called exchange."

"Later events confirmed our suspicion, as we later discovered that the United States could never achieve our level of refinement purity. If they really had more advanced technology, they would have shown it already. Moreover, several times afterward, they tried various ways to steal our technology, but they failed."

"So we need to be confident but certainly not close off from exchanges. We must maintain our independence during exchanges and never blindly worship Europe and America. Learn from them, but don't blindly idolize them."

Perhaps Professor Fang felt that Yang Ping and Chen Zhi were both engaged in technology, and as an elder, he couldn't help sharing some experiences—a desire to prevent young people from stepping into the pits he once fell into.

"Also, never believe their claims of learning technology through cooperation; that's all deceitful. Core technologies can't be learned through cooperation. During cooperation, you must maintain independent research without relying on them. They use this dependency to eliminate our resolve for independent research. Eventually, time is wasted, and no core technology is mastered. Just think, how could people hand over their skill to earn a living? Teach the apprentice, starve the master—our ancestors understood this truth, yet many in the scientific community don't."

Oh no, here comes the preaching again. Professor Fang realized he was over-reaching. He originally just came to see the surgical robot, but ended up lecturing the young people. Yet, sometimes, he couldn't help himself.

"How does this robotic arm achieve control?"

Even though Professor Fang was an expert in metallurgy, he was very familiar with these mechanical principles too, because an excellent metallurgy expert not only possesses chemical knowledge but also the capability to convert chemical principles into processes, which involves certain machines.

In a surgical robot, the robotic arm, capable of precise path and force control, performs basic operations such as cutting and suturing. It directly determines the doctor's operational delivery and feedback. The robotic arm is also one of the core components of robot system design.

"We use independently developed electronic control technology, with no cable connection between the terminal instruments and the host, but instead an electronic signal connection. The advantage of this is more precise, stable, and flexible control. The drawback, however, is that the micro-motor of the terminal instrument is challenging to make, and the electronic signal conduction requires a very strong anti-interference ability. However, we have solved these technical difficulties."

The core power of the currently mainstream surgical robots comes from the linear motor, which directly drives the robotic arm to complete precise movements.

The linear motor differs from the rotary motor as it doesn't need to convert motion forms through gears or transmission belts. Electrical energy is directly converted into linear displacement, achieving micron-level precision. This working method fits the stringent requirements for precision and stability in surgical scenarios very well.

Professor Fang also considered the possibilities of this approach and became very interested in the surgical robot. He mused about whether he could utilize his professional knowledge to provide some beneficial suggestions, such as improving the raw materials of some critical components.

"Electromagnetic drive forms the foundation of the linear motor. Currently, we have mastered the most advanced technology in this regard, and it is by leveraging these technologies that we manufactured the world's smallest linear motor, with a power far exceeding others."

The coil set is fixed to the stator part of the motor, while the permanent magnet array is installed on the mover. After power is applied, the coils generate an alternating magnetic field, which interacts with the permanent magnet field to push the mover along the guide rail. By configuring multiple sets of linear motors, the movements such as translation, rotation, and gripping of the robotic arm are respectively controlled. For instance, the advance and retreat trajectory of the needle holder during suturing is entirely determined by the displacement curve of the linear motor.

Position feedback systems are crucial for precision control. Grating or magnetic grid sensors monitor the mover displacement in real-time. Every micron of position change is fed back to the control system. The main control computer of the surgical robot compares data thousands of times per second, dynamically adjusting the current output. When the robotic arm needs to complete a 0.1 mm precise cut, the control system will complete the path correction within 20 milliseconds, ensuring the actual movement deviation from the planned path does not exceed ±3 microns.

The contactless transmission characteristic brings significant advantages. Traditional screw transmission exhibits mechanical wear and gap errors. The linear motor maintains a 0.5-1 mm air gap between the mover and stator, achieving complete physical isolation. This design allows the robotic arm to maintain its initial precision even after 8 continuous working hours, making it particularly suitable for long-duration operations in neurosurgery. Testing data from a certain brand's surgical robot shows that after a million reciprocating movements, the positioning accuracy decay of the linear motor does not exceed 0.8%.

The safety protection mechanism encompasses multiple safeguards. Temperature sensors embedded in the coil winding automatically activate the cooling system when the motor temperature exceeds 65°C. Dual redundant position sensors work in parallel, immediately cutting off the power when data variance exceeds the safety threshold. A certain model's surgical robot linear motor is equipped with an emergency brake module, capable of locking motion components within 30 milliseconds to prevent accidental patient tissue damage.

Material selection directly affects performance. The mover support is made of carbon fiber composite materials, ensuring strength while reducing the mass of the moving parts. The coils use high-temperature-resistant enameled wire, with the insulation layer able to function normally in a 150°C environment. The guide rail surface of a certain manufacturer's linear motor is coated with diamond-like carbon, reducing the friction coefficient to 0.02, decreasing energy loss during robotic arm movement by 37%.