Chinese researchers have developed a surgical robot that can perform complex brain imaging nearly 30 per cent faster than traditional manual methods, according to a study published earlier this year.

The feat marks a milestone for the world’s first approved cerebrovascular intervention system.

In a head-to-head at the prestigious Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), a young surgeon using the robotic system shaved nine minutes off the time required for a standard manual procedure.

“Preliminary clinical application shows that the YDHB-NS01 robot-assisted system is feasible for diagnostic cerebral angiography and shows early indications of safety and comparable procedural performance to conventional manual methods,” lead author Dr Zhao Yuanli wrote in the study published in the Chinese Neurosurgical Journal on January 30.

Cerebral vascular imaging is a must for the treatment of many brain diseases, but it is a difficult procedure for both patient and doctor. In conventional methods, the neurologist must manually thread a thin guide-wire from a patient’s thigh up to the brain’s blood vessels under X-ray fluoroscopy.

Manual surgery has inherent limitations: hands inevitably tremble, and the heavy lead gowns and collars worn by doctors for radiation protection increase physical strain. Long-term radiation exposure also poses health risks to doctors.

The robotic system avoids these issues. It operates stably with no mechanical or system failures. Operators have reported smooth catheter and guide-wire delivery, stable manipulator fixation, responsive control handles and good force feedback.

In their study, Zhao and his team found that with robotic help and just two training sessions, the same operator was able to improve safety and reliability of the procedure while reducing surgical time by 29 per cent – or from an average of 38 minutes to 27 minutes.

From May to August last year, 25 patients underwent robot-assisted cerebral angiography, while another 25 underwent manual angiography performed by the same operator during the same period at PUMCH.

The institution, long regarded as China’s premier hospital, attracts the country’s top medical students and clinicians. But in the comparison, the robotic arms assisted by intelligent machines outperformed human hands.

Both procedures were performed by the same young neurosurgeon, who had less than three years of independent experience in neurovascular angiography.

For the manual procedures, he wore a lead apron and worked directly in the radiation environment, while in the robot-assisted procedures he operated via a screen and remote manipulator from an adjacent room.

All 50 procedures were completed successfully, with a technical and clinical success rate of 100 per cent in both robotic and manual sets.

All target vessels were clearly visualised, meeting diagnostic requirements.

“No differences were observed between the two groups in fluoroscopy time, patient radiation dose, contrast agent dose or total angiography room time,” said Zhao, a leading cerebrovascular surgeon who has pioneered neuronavigation-guided minimally invasive surgery for brain tumours and complex vascular diseases in China.

The YDHB-NS01 system was developed domestically, and produced in the northern province of Hebei. It is China’s first approved vascular intervention robot and the world’s first approved cerebrovascular intervention robot.

The system previously performed 257 angiograms at three Chinese medical centres in 2020, achieving a 100 per cent success rate.

China has miniaturised the technology used to make electromagnetic cannons to develop a handheld coil gun, according to state media.

The weapon was designed for stealth, non-lethal operations and law enforcement, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday, adding that it could fire between 1,000 and 2,000 projectiles a minute and penetrate wooden boards from dozens of metres away.

Its power levels can also be altered, meaning that on lower settings there is less chance it will kill someone and instead disable them.

The lightweight electromagnetic launcher has a barrel just 30cm (12 inches) long and can be easily held in one hand.

It is also fitted with a laser pointer to improve accuracy, according to its developer, state-owned China South Industries Group Corporation.

The weapon, also known as a Gauss gun, employs electromagnetic coils to fire metal projectiles at high speeds. Unlike conventional firearms, the electromagnetic weapon produces no muzzle flash or smoke, makes very little noise and does not discard shell casings – all of which make it ideal for stealth operations.

Saturday’s report from CCTV featured a model that had been upgraded from a test version developed last year.

The new weapon has a slightly longer barrel and can fire bigger and heavier projectiles. Although the firing speed was slower, there was a considerable increase in both the projectiles’ kinetic energy and destructive power, the report said.

It also has an electronic display that shows battery life, ammunition count and firing modes, while the shooter can adjust the gun’s electric current to control its output power and vary projectile speed based on the distance from the target and on-the-spot conditions.

“By spreading impact force to a larger area, it can effectively subdue targets while reducing the risk of fatality,” military commentator Zhang Xuefeng told CCTV.

The detachable magazine is positioned behind the centrally located grip, enabling the electromagnetic coils to span the entire length of the chassis to maximise the projectile’s acceleration distance, while maintaining a compact frame, according to the report.

Although the portable coil gun is currently intended for specialised non-lethal scenarios, mainly due to the limitations in battery power output, Zhang suggested the weapon could play a more significant role in future warfare, potentially supplementing or replacing traditional firearms in certain combat environments, as battery technology continues to improve.

China has also been developing much larger electromagnetic weapons. In 2023, the PLA Naval University of Engineering reportedly tested the world’s most powerful coil gun that could fire a 124kg (273lbs) projectile at speeds of 700 km/h (435mph).

A rail gun, another type of electromagnetic weapon that uses a pair of parallel rails to accelerate projectiles, is also under development. A prototype was reportedly seen on a People’s Liberation Army naval vessel for testing as early as 2018.

The following is a statement by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran on the two-week ceasefire and the conditions for negotiations:

These negotiations will begin in Islamabad with complete distrust of the American side, and Iran will allocate two weeks for these negotiations. This time can be extended by agreement of the parties.

It is necessary to maintain complete national unity during this period and to continue the celebrations of victory with strength.

The current negotiations are national negotiations and a continuation of the field, and it is necessary for all people, elites, and political groups to trust and support this process, which is under the supervision of the revolutionary leaders and the highest levels of the system, and to strictly avoid any divisive statements.

If the surrender of the enemy in the field becomes a decisive political achievement in the negotiations, we will celebrate this great historical victory together, otherwise we will fight side by side in the field until all the demands of the Iranian nation are achieved.

Our hands are on the trigger, and as soon as the slightest mistake by the enemy is made, it will be responded to with full force.

Supreme National Security Council