Robot-assisted Endoscope Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Robot-assisted Endoscope Market is projected to expand from USD 1.51 Billion in 2025 to USD 2.36 Billion by 2031, reflecting a CAGR of 7.73%. These electromechanical devices are engineered to augment physician capabilities during gastrointestinal diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, offering superior stability, visualization, and dexterity compared to traditional manual instruments. Market growth is largely driven by the rising prevalence of chronic digestive disorders and a growing preference for minimally invasive interventions that shorten hospitalization times. Highlighting the significant disease burden necessitating such technologies, the American Cancer Society reported that approximately 152,810 new cases of colorectal cancer were estimated to be diagnosed in the United States in 2024.

Despite these strong growth drivers, the market encounters substantial obstacles due to the high capital acquisition and maintenance costs linked to robotic platforms. This financial barrier restricts adoption, particularly among smaller healthcare facilities and in developing regions where reimbursement frameworks may be inadequate. Additionally, the steep learning curve required for medical professionals to master these complex systems creates an operational bottleneck. These economic and training constraints continue to hinder the widespread integration of robot-assisted technologies into standard clinical practice.

Market Drivers

Advancements in artificial intelligence and the creation of flexible robotic platforms are fundamentally transforming the Global Robot-assisted Endoscope Market by enabling access to anatomical structures that were previously unreachable. Innovations in soft robotics and steerable catheters allow physicians to navigate complex pathways within the lungs and gastrointestinal tract with greater stability and precision than manual instruments. This technical progress is validating the safety of complex platforms and accelerating their commercialization path. A significant milestone occurred in December 2024, when EndoQuest Robotics announced via press release that the U.S. FDA granted an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) for its flexible Endoluminal Surgical System to commence trials for colorectal procedures, confirming the maturity of these technologies for clinical adoption.

The growing prevalence of pulmonary and gastrointestinal disorders significantly fuels market expansion as healthcare providers face increasing pressure to perform biopsies and therapeutic interventions with minimal trauma. The rising incidence of complex conditions, such as lung cancer, necessitates advanced diagnostic tools capable of delivering higher yield rates for early-stage detection, thereby driving the utilization of robot-assisted bronchoscopy. For instance, the American Lung Association’s '2024 State of Lung Cancer' report projected approximately 235,000 new lung cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2024. This escalating disease volume directly boosts procedure counts for established platforms; consequently, Intuitive Surgical reported in its October 2024 financial results that procedure volume for the Ion endoluminal system grew by approximately 73% year-over-year, underscoring the rapid clinical integration of these technologies.

Market Challenges

The primary obstacle hindering the growth of the Global Robot-assisted Endoscope Market is the high capital acquisition and maintenance costs associated with these advanced platforms. This substantial financial burden limits market penetration, particularly within smaller community hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers operating on narrow margins. When healthcare facilities face budget constraints, they often prioritize essential operational expenses over investing in premium, high-cost technologies that lack robust reimbursement pathways. Consequently, the difficulty in justifying the return on investment for these expensive systems directly stalls the broader adoption of robot-assisted endoscopy.

This economic pressure is further evidenced by recent industry data highlighting the financial strain on healthcare providers. According to the American Hospital Association, the average age of hospital plant and capital equipment increased by over 10% in 2024 as facilities were forced to delay purchasing new medical technologies due to rising operational costs and insufficient reimbursement. This contraction in capital spending power negatively impacts the robot-assisted endoscope market, as healthcare administrators are compelled to defer or cancel the acquisition of high-value electromechanical devices in favor of maintaining existing, lower-cost manual instruments.

Market Trends

The development of telesurgery and remote clinical monitoring solutions is expanding the availability of specialized gastrointestinal care by overcoming geographical limitations. Advanced robotic systems integrated with low-latency communication networks now allow expert physicians to manipulate endoscopes from distant locations, ensuring that patients in underserved regions can receive timely interventions without the need for travel. This capability is particularly vital for complex procedures where the requisite technical expertise is concentrated in major medical centers, effectively democratizing access to high-quality diagnostics. Validating this remote potential, Healthcare IT News reported in September 2024 that researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and ETH Zurich successfully conducted a biopsy on a live porcine model over a distance of 5,700 miles, controlling a magnetic endoscope in Hong Kong from a console in Switzerland.

Simultaneously, the emergence of autonomous navigation and magnetic steering capabilities is revolutionizing the invasiveness and workflow of endoscopic examinations. Unlike traditional manually pushed instruments or mechanically actuated catheters, these next-generation platforms utilize external magnetic fields to precisely guide ingestible capsules or soft scopes through the digestive tract, significantly reducing patient discomfort and often eliminating the need for sedation. This shift toward magnetically driven, tether-free mobility minimizes tissue trauma and streamlines the procedural footprint, facilitating use in diverse clinical settings. Highlighting the commercial momentum of this technology, The Robot Report noted in June 2024 that Endiatx secured $7 million in funding to advance the clinical development of its PillBot system, a swallowable robotic capsule that physicians can actively steer inside the stomach.

Key Players Profiled in the Robot-assisted Endoscope Market

• Asensus Surgical Inc.
• Intuitive Surgical Inc.
• Auris Health Inc.
• Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.
• Brainlab AG
• Medtronic PLC
• Boston Scientific Corp
• Stryker Corp

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Robot-assisted Endoscope Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Robot-assisted Endoscope Market, by End User:

• Hospitals
• Outpatient Facilities
• Others

Robot-assisted Endoscope Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Robot-assisted Endoscope Market.

Available Customization

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• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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