Cognitive robotics and embedded AI for minimally invasive surgery – a seminar with Prof Franziska Mathis-Ullrich (KIT)

Cognitive robotics and embedded AI for minimally invasive surgery – a seminar with Prof Franziska Mathis-Ullrich (KIT)

Date: Friday 11 March 2022
Time: 11:00
Place: Aula Verde, Dip. Informatica
Speaker: Prof Franziska Mathis-Ullrich -Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Contact Person: P. Fiorini

ABSTRACT

While human interaction remains key to a caring treatment, medical robotics holds the potential to improve surgical processes through enabling scaling of forces and actuation, providing safe and individual treatments to patients, and allowing for efficient use of health care personnel and resources. Machine learning algorithms and standardization of processes can increase the quality of medical diagnosis and treatments, particularly when analyzing large quantities of data. Technical and robotic systems can thus support the medical staff in all steps of a medical process.
This talk introduces several assistive robotic systems for minimally invasive surgical procedures being researched at the Health Robotics and Automation Lab at KIT, Germany. On one hand, we will discuss steerable flexible robotic tools for medical applications that require delicate tissue handling. On the other hand, cognitive robotic surgeons and augmented reality support in the operation room are presented for application in laparoscopy and neurosurgery.

Source: ClicKIT Magazine

BIO

Franziska Mathis-Ullrich is Assistant Professor for Medical Robotics at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany. Her primary research focus is on minimally invasive and cognition controlled robotic systems and embedded machine learning with emphasis on applications in surgery. She received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in mechanical engineering and robotics in 2009 and 2012 and obtained her Ph.D. in 2017 in Microrobotics from ETH Zurich, respectively. Since 2019, she has been an Assistant Professor with the Health Robotics and Automation Laboratory at KIT. Prof. Mathis-Ullrich is vice-president of the German Society for Computer- and Robot-assisted Surgery (CURAC) and has received the IEEE ICRA Best Paper Award in Medical Robotics (2014), the IEEE BioRob Best Student Paper Award (2016) and won twice with her team the first prize of the ICRA Microassembly Challenge (2014 & 2015). Furthermore, she made it onto the prestigious Forbes “30 under 30” list (2017).

IEEE T-MRB Call for Papers

IEEE T-MRB Call for Papers

IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (IEEE-TMRB) Special Issue / Section on Sensors for Physical Interaction and Perception in Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

Guest Editors: Prof. Paolo Fiorini, University of Verona, Italy, and Dr. Giovanni Gerardo Muscolo,  University of Verona, Italy 

Deadline for papers submission: 15  September 2022

This special issue/section aims at presenting contributions on sensors for monitoring and rendering physical interaction to increase perception in surgical robotics, such as, for example, force/torque, contact, proximity, virtual sensors and their corresponding feedback devices.

Robotic surgery is a research field in continuous evolution and many aspects are still to be optimised to develop more complex clinical operations. Ten years ago, artificial intelligence was not considered for surgical systems; Da Vinci was the only surgical robot available on the market; 3D printing was a promising technology potentially useful for robotic surgery; and microsurgery was developed to increase precision. Today, the European Commission has defined the ethical guidelines of artificial intelligence in all sectors of technology, including surgical robotics; many surgical robots are being developed or tested in the market and 3D printing is a viable tool for medicine. However, one big problem that still remains unsolved is the sensorization of surgical tools: designs still rely on classical configurations, fabrication is very challenging, and sterilization of electronics prevents embedding sensors in the instruments. Furthermore, data collected by sensors are fed back to the users by simple devices that can rarely support a good perception, thus sensors and feedback devices should be optimized for joint operation, which is not presently done.

This special issue/section will contribute to clarify the field, help defining the promising technologies and their applications, and list the progress in using interaction data to simplify surgery tasks. Interaction among sensors and new haptic devices for increasing perception in surgeons are others interesting aspects included in the topics of the special issue/section. 

Topics include, but not limited to:

  • Force/Torque Sensors for Surgical Robotic Instruments;
  • Force Feedback, Estimation and Measurement;
  • Optical Fibre Sensors;
  • Tactile and proximity Sensors;
  • Vision and Virtual Sensors;
  • Design of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) Load Cell for Surgery;
  • Strain Gauges and Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG);
  • Multi-Axis Force Platforms and Stewart Platform;
  • Suture Tensile and Tool-Tissue Interaction;
  • Smart Instruments and Tissue Palpation;
  • Flexure Hinge and Force Decoupling.
  • Modelling, Control and Design of Micro Force/Torque Sensors;
  • Machine Learning and AI for Sensory data Analysis and Validation;
  • Disposable Sensors and Sterilization;
  • Design of Haptic Devices with Force and touch rendering for Telesurgery;
  • Interaction Among Sensors for Perception in Robotic Surgery.

The journal also welcomes survey and commentary papers providing: critical, systematic review of research areas and trends within its scope; evidence-based studies on early clinical validation of robotic or bionic technologies, and contributions on ethical, social, economic, and organizational aspects concerning robotics and/or bionic solutions for medical and healthcare applications.
Submissions are OPEN!

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Workshop at ICAR 2021

Workshop at ICAR 2021

December 7, 2021 – remotely held – originally Ljubljana, SLO

Workshop on Low cost medical and surgical robotics

at the 20th International Conference on Advanced Robotics (ICAR 2021)

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Organizer’s message

Medical and surgical robotics are one of the fastest growing sector of service robotics, yielding important medical advances and great economic returns to the investors. However, despite the impressive growth rate, the actual numbers of robot-assisted procedures and their impact are still very small in the medical field: robotic surgical interventions account for only the 0.05% of the total number of major surgeries done every year worldwide, and no clear medical benefit has emerged in most robot-assisted procedures with respect to Minimally Invasive Surgical (MIS) procedures.

We believe the reasons for this are primarily two: the huge cost of the devices that prevent their widespread usage and the lack of diversified devices that can be used in lower cost procedures. In short, both reasons can be related to the high cost of medical robotics since it prevents smaller hospitals to use robots in their clinical practice and limits their applications to high cost procedures that guarantees the proper cost recovery.

In this workshop we want to explore the difficulties and the benefits of developing low cost medical robotic devices that can guarantee top performance at a fraction of the cost of current devices. The difficulties to achieve this goal are many, from the high cost of certification and experimentation to the marginal performance of low cost components. Thus, new algorithms need to be developed to achieve high performance from components derived from mass production products, and new certification procedures could be proposed to the notifiedbodies. Of course, if this approach will be successful, we could finally see robots integrated in all medical procedures.

 

Paolo Fiorini and Pietro Valdastri

Registrations

To register to the workshop sessions (morning and/or afternoon), please fill in the contact form at the link below, and you will later receive the access link.
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Programme

Workshop on Low cost medical and surgical robotics

CET Time

• 10am – 10.10am Welcome and Introduction

• 10.10am – 10.30am David Jayne, Leeds Teaching Hospital (Professor Colorectal Surgery)

• 10.30am – 10.50am Peter Culmer, University of Leeds (Associate Professor Mechanical Engineering)

• 10.50am – 11.10am Manish Chauhan, University of York (Lecturer in Medical Engineering)

• 11.10am – 11.30am Tim Horeman, Technical University of Delft (Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering)

• 11.30am – 11.35am Short break

• 11.35am – 12.00pm Round Table

• 12.00pm – 12.30pm Draft of a white paper & Conclusion

The ICAR-2021 logo is designed by Jadran Lenarčič, is inspired by the history of the city of Ljubljana. discover more

Workshop “Embodied AI in robotic surgery: Outcomes of the EU funded SARAS project”

Organized by Riccardo Muradore, Marcello Bonfe, Cristian Secchi, Francesco Setti, Elettra Oleari.

Agenda and (free) registration link here

ICAR official page

ODINO Open Week

ODINO Open Week

Odino Open week

Dal 22 al 24 settembre l’Officina di Innovazione si presenta alla città 

È tutto pronto nel Laboratorio di robotica Odino Verona in vista dell’inaugurazione ufficiale di venerdì 24 settembre. Ad anticipare il taglio del nastro degli spazi di via Santa Teresa, 12, nell’area degli ex magazzini generali, due giornate di attivitàdedicate alle scuole e un inspirational talk online, mercoledì 22 alle 18, rivolto alla cittadinanza sul tema della robotica e delle nuove tecnologie.

L’inaugurazione sarà venerdì 24 settembre, alle 11, alla presenza di Olivia Guaraldo, delegata del rettore al Public Engagement, Alessandro Mazzucco, presidente della Fondazione Cariverona, e Paolo Fiorini, delegato del rettore alla Ricerca, docente di Robotica nel dipartimento di Informatica e responsabile del progetto Odino.

L’Officina d’Innovazione Odino Verona, gestita dall’università di Verona in collaborazione con Verona Fablab, è un laboratorio di robotica all’avanguardia fornito di robot educativi e strumentazione tecnologica in grado di simulare contesti di automazione industriale e manifatturiera in un ambiente di apprendimento dinamico, stimolante e sicuro. Comau è partner didattico e tecnologico, per la dotazione di robot e.DO, progettati con finalità formative.

Officine d’Innovazione è un progetto nato dalla sinergia tra università di Verona, Comune di Soave e Fondazione Safe, Security and Freedom for Europe, supportati dal Consorzio di Tutela vino Soave e Confindustria Verona, con il contributo di Fondazione Cariverona.

I corsi di formazione Odino in ambito robotico si rivolgono ai ragazzi dai 18 ai 30 anni residenti nel veronese e permettono di sviluppare competenze all’avanguardia per il mondo del lavoro 4.0. Le macchine sono infatti configurabili e in grado di simulare contesti di automazione industriale e manifatturiera permettendo agli studenti di fare esperienza con quello che accade in un’azienda, dalle dinamiche tecniche di catena di montaggio a quelle sociali.

Il laboratorio di robotica si trova in via Santa Teresa, 12 nell’area degli ex magazzini generali, a fianco del neo inaugurato Laboratorio ICE Industrial Computer Engineering dell’università di Verona. Una zona di interesse archeologico industriale in forte rivalutazione destinata a divenire nuovo polo di innovazione tecnologica per la città.

Nel corso dei prossimi anni il laboratorio sarà a disposizione di studenti e giovani per approfondire le tematiche riguardanti il mondo della robotica industriale con l’obiettivo di sperimentare nuovi modelli di apprendimento e nuove tecnologie. Il laboratorio potrà anche diventare un luogo di formazione e riqualificazione professionale per chi vuole affacciarsi a questo mondo.

L’innovazione non è solo a Verona: anche Soave è presente un’Officina Odino, focalizzata sulla formazione nei settori vitivinicolo ed enologico. Inaugurata a settembre 2020, nel prestigioso spazio dell’Ex-Mulino della città, può già contare 8 corsi avviati e più di 120 ragazzi coinvolti.

Modalità di iscrizione e programma completo disponibili sul sito www.progetto-odino.it.

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 ODINO OPEN WEEK – IL PROGRAMMA

Mercoledì 22/09/2021 | Ore 15-18 Laboratorio Odino, via Santa Teresa 12
RoboIndustry, la tecnologia con i robot: dalle origini della robotica alla programmazione di un robot educativo industriale.
Evento rivolto agli studenti delle scuole superiori.
Partecipa!

Mercoledì 22/09/2021 | Ore 18-19, online.
Inspirational Talk con il professor Igor Pelgreffi: filosofia, etica e nuove tecnologie.
Appuntamento rivolto a curiosi e appassionati di robotica, scienza, filosofia, etica. Igor Pelgreffi è docente di filosofia all’Università di Verona, redattore delle riviste Kaiak A Philosophical Journey, Lo Sguardo – Rivista di Filosofia e “Azimuth”.
Prenota il tuo posto!

Giovedì 23/09/2021 | Ore 15-18, Laboratorio Odino, via Santa Teresa 12
RoboTeaching, la scuola con i robot.
Un incontro dedicato agli insegnanti di qualsiasi materia per scoprire le potenzialità del laboratorio Odino in classe.
Partecipa!

Venerdì 24/09/2021 | Ore 11- 13 Laboratorio Odino, via Santa Teresa 12
Inaugurazione del Laboratorio Odino.
 Saluti istituzionali, taglio del nastro e visita del Laboratorio, evento su invito.

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L’iscrizione serve per ricevere il link via email il giorno prima dell’evento.

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PROST Project Final Results

PROST Project Final Results

PROST Project final results are online in this article:

Toward autonomous robotic prostate biopsy: a pilot study. 

With Bogdan Maris, Chiara Tenga, Rudy Vicario, Luigi Palladino, Noè Murr, Michela De Piccoli, Andrea Calanca, Stefano Puliatti, Salvatore Micali, Alessandro Tafuri and Paolo Fiorini.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer, after breast cancer, and is one of the leading causes of death in men.

PROST is our first #prototype of a prostate biopsy robot that includes a level of autonomy in target identification, image fusion and needle guidance

The robot aims at reducing human error in #biopsy planning and execution, it can also guarantee that high-accuracy prostate biopsies are accessible, thanks to a low-cost solution that works independently of the clinician’s experience. 

Our pre-clinical ex-vivo #tests were performed in collaboration with a cohort of 10 urologists from the Università degli Studi di Verona #AOUI Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona and Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia.

PROST is funded by the European Research Council under the Proof of Concept grant.

Read the article

About Prost
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer, after breast cancer, and is one of the leading causes of death in men.

PROST is our first #prototype of a prostate biopsy robot that includes a level of autonomy in target identification, image fusion and needle guidance

The robot aims at reducing human error in #biopsy planning and execution, it can also guarantee that high-accuracy prostate biopsies are accessible, thanks to a low-cost solution that works independently of the clinician’s experience. 

Our pre-clinical ex-vivo #tests were performed in collaboration with a cohort of 10 urologists from the Università degli Studi di Verona #AOUI Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata Verona and Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia.

PROST is funded by the European Research Council under the Proof of Concept grant.

DISCOVER THE PROJECT

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