Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the award ceremony was held for the first time in the form of a liveweb session. Peter Mohnen, CEO of KUKA AG, announced the winners of the 20,000 euro prize via video stream.
Research team from Italy wins KUKA Innovation Award 2020
by David Fleschen
The winning team HIFUSK from the Scuola Superiore St'Anna in Italy developed a non-invasive surgical procedure based on high-intensity focused ultrasound and the KUKA lightweight robot LBR Med. In this way, previously unmet medical needs in the treatment of pathological tissues, such as cancer tissue, can be met.
This combination of a robot and non-invasive ultrasound enables precise surgical treatment without incisions, anesthesia or ionization energy. Robotic control and machine learning ensure a safe procedure, even if target movements change during therapy.
"Robotics is playing an increasingly important role in medicine and offers a wide range of possibilities," said Dr. Kristina Wagner, Vice President KUKA Corporate Research. "Digitalization and automation can support and relieve the burden in the healthcare sector. We at KUKA are addressing this development – also with the Innovation Award and this year's Medical Robotics Challenge".
Source and Photo: Kuka