SoKoRoMed

Soft and continuum robotics for medical applications

The aim of the project is to establish defined processes for the fabrication of patient-specific and application-specific soft end effectors.

Within the project, soft end effectors will be designed and combined with conventional medical and robotic technologies in an integrated clinical demonstrator for use in specific interventions. Furthermore, the definition of standards for the system and functional description of soft robots is intended to facilitate clinical translation.
The project includes the development of strategies and methods for the utilization and application of existing and novel soft robotic technologies in clinical environments. The research focuses on identifying which materials and concepts are suitable for specific medical application areas and how existing methods and systems can be adapted to clinical use cases. Novel clinical treatment systems are to be developed through the combination of soft robotics, conventional robotic systems, existing medical technologies (e.g., navigation systems and instruments), and emerging technologies such as sensing, imaging, and therapeutic approaches. The resulting prototypes will be developed as patient-specific soft actuators and evaluated using clinical use cases in order to establish a treatment chain ranging from patient modeling and automated manufacturing to clinical application in patients.

The development of standards for the integration and deployment of soft robotics in clinical settings – including aspects related to design and system descriptions, safe control and clinical integration, as well as ethical implications, safety concepts, and regulatory approval – will constitute an integral part of the research activities and are regarded as essential steps toward successful clinical translation.