Doctors at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University perform an operation, using a seven-axis surgical robot developed by Hangzhou Keya robot Co Ltd. [Photo/WeChat account: xianjiaodaerfuyuan]

A seven-axis robot developed by a company in Hangzhou - - the capital of China's eastern Zhejiang province -- recently assisted doctors at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, to successfully complete a total hip joint replacement operation.

Experts said the operation was the first of its kind in China.

The robot named "ARTHROBOT" was developed by Hangzhou Keya robot Co Ltd, which was founded in Hangzhou Future Sci-Tech City in 2018.

The company specializes in providing targeted joint replacement medical solutions and is experienced in developing surgical robots.

According to Xu Jing, founder of the company, ARTHROBOT is a seven-axis robot which has a high level of dexterity similar to a human's arms.

In 2019, China had more than 700,000 surgical operations carried out for joint replacements and experts say the number keeps growing at an annual rate of 20 percent.

Experts say there is a lack of accuracy in operating on hip joint replacements and the development of ARTHROBOT helps fill the gap.

Wang Zhengkun, director of the joint surgery department at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University and the main operator of the surgery, said that doctors can achieve a high degree of accuracy using the seven-axis robot independently developed by the Chinese company to conduct joint replacement surgery.

Xu said that the robot has entered a clinical trial phase and is expected to be the first domestic joint replacement surgical robot approved by the National Medical Products Administration.