KUKA Innovation Award 2020

Team HIFUSK (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy)

HIFUSK can address unmet clinical needs in the treatment of pathological tissues, like cancerous tissues. HIFUSK is the marriage of 2 technologies: robotics and focused ultrasound. Such a combination results in a surgical treatment which is precise thanks to robotics and non-invasive (no incisions, no anesthesia, no ionizing energy) thanks to focused ultrasound. Robotic control and machine learning algorithms ensure safety even in case of target motions during the therapy. We validated our platform in a dry lab/ex-vivo scenario and we received the approval for in-vivo tests of HIFU robotic treatments.

Team SAHARRA (Slovak University of Technology, Slovakia)

During laser hair removal, a highly concentrated light enters the hair follicle. There, the laser light is then absorbed by the pigment at the hair root and generates heat. This damages the hair follicle and thus inhibits future hair growth. Team SAHARRA is developing a robot application to improve the precision and speed of the treatment. To achieve this, a navigation system determines the exact areas to be treated in conjunction with an LBR Med. In this way unnecessary double treatments can be avoided.

Team CoNeeBot (Hamburg University of Technology, Germany)

Needles are important instruments for carrying out minimally invasive treatments such as biopsies. There is a long history of investigating image-assisted processes and robotics in order to provide support during precise needle positioning. Up to now, this has mostly involved aligning the needle with the target using the robot. The doctor then has the task of moving the needle into the target area. This task is made more difficult through deformations in soft tissue as well as through a bending of the needle upon insertion. Team CoNeeBot’s goal is to develop a smart needle that recognizes its environment, to connect it to the robot and thus to help doctors in the correct positioning of the needle.

Team RAOCT (Duke University, USA)

Examinations of the eye can often only be carried out by ophthalmologists. One promising technology here is optical coherence tomography (OCT). Although this scanning method is considered standard technology for eye diseases, such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, it must be operated by highly qualified specialists. In order to make this technology more accessible, robot technology will be used to automate and better align the tomograph as well as to simplify operator control.

Team SpheriObot (Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai Electric Group, China)

There are many patients with hip problems, including young people. The traditional treatment method for hip dysplasia – an insufficiently formed acetabulum – is periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). This unwieldy name refers to a procedure in which the hip socket is cut out and repositioned through several incisions. This can lead to damage of nerves or blood vessels. The team from China is developing a robot system that can reposition the hip socket in a targeted manner with fewer incisions thanks to a special saw. This can increase the precision of the operating method and thus lower the risk of surgical trauma.