Taiwan's Industry Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Catcher Technology have collaborated on a next-generation integrated electrosurgery system and co-develop a hybrid energy system for minimally invasive surgery.

This collaborative project, supported by the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT), Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), combines ITRI’s software-hardware integration ability and Catcher Technology’s expertise in material manufacturing to jointly develop advanced medical device applications.

Aiming to foster an ecosystem of med-tech industrial clusters in Taiwan, increase the value of medical devices, and seize the smart and precision medicine markets. ITRI will work on the industrialization of innovative technologies, while Catcher Technology, a CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) and leader in metal electronics will boost the industrial supply chain and technological capability. As Taiwan has a complete ICT industrial cluster and high-quality medical system conducive to the development of personalized medicine, mHealth and telemedicine, industries can explore new value and market opportunities from multidisciplinary cooperation and integration. ITRI and Catcher’s cooperation on the next-generation integrated electrosurgery system can fulfill clinical needs by providing one instrument with multiple functions, and thus bring more benefits to clinicians and patients alike.

Chairman Shui-Shu Hung of Catcher Technology said, "Catcher looks forward to leveraging its strengths in material science and manufacturing, working with ITRI’s experienced R&D capabilities, and incorporating the opinions of doctors to develop a novel hybrid system for minimally invasive surgery. Combining both bipolar and ultrasonic energies, the system dynamically provides different energy types and levels for the surgical scalpel, effectively solving the shortcomings of traditional electrosurgical units".

"This instrument can be mainly used in minimally invasive surgery for the abdomen with its capabilities of vessel sealing, coagulation, cutting and dissection, and can be simultaneously deployed to fulfill different clinical needs with a customizable design. Catcher is optimistic about the development of AI smart care system and minimally invasive surgery," he added.