Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hiroki Ebana is a pioneering thoracic surgeon whose research centers on the advancement of minimally invasive robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS), with a particular focus on reducing surgical port requirements while maintaining procedural safety and efficacy. Working across multiple institutions in Japan, Ebana has been at the forefront of developing and refining reduced-port robotic surgical techniques, most notably dual-portal robotic-assisted thoracic surgery (DRATS), which represents an innovative middle ground between conventional multiportal approaches and the more demanding uniportal RATS technique. His most-cited contribution, a 2023 multi-institutional study on DRATS (9 citations), helped establish early clinical evidence for this emerging approach in Japan. Building on this foundation, Ebana introduced neoDRATS in 2024, a novel refinement that eliminates the need for skilled bedside assistants by deploying all four robotic arms independently during anatomical lung surgery — a technically significant advancement with meaningful implications for surgical team efficiency. His further work on uniportal RATS for mediastinal tumor resection underscores his commitment to expanding the boundaries of minimally invasive thoracic oncology. Ebana's body of work is shaping the next generation of robotic surgical standards in Japan and beyond.