Medical Robotics Challenge 2.0
The KUKA Innovation Award 2025 is aimed both at the interaction of robotic systems with humans in the medical environment and at robots as part of future medical applications. Applicants were asked to introduce and demonstrate new, innovative and interactive methods for improving health and care. These include applications with direct patient interaction in the fields of diagnostics, rehabilitation, surgery and other forms of therapy.
These are our five teams
Team guidooSpine – Germany
The BEC Robotics team is developing an image- and tracking-supported robotic assistance system for the efficient planning and precise execution of spinal interventions with straight surgical instruments and implants. The biggest challenge is the close proximity to the spinal cord, which poses a significant risk of injury to the nerve cord. The challenges of the procedure can be exacerbated by possible displacement of the target vertebra during the procedure, for example due to the patient’s breathing, the patient’s movement or the force exerted during the procedure. The robotic assistance system offers high precision under load. This enables better health outcomes while reducing the likelihood of damaging nerves or arteries. Applications include tumour removal near the spinal cord or the insertion of pedicle screws for spinal fusion, i.e. screws to stabilize the spine.
Team SERA – Canada
Current robots in orthopedic surgery have limited cross-surgery capabilities, although many procedures have similar tasks to assess and repair damaged joints. The idea of Team Sera from the University of Waterloo aims to develop a robust collaborative multi-tasking robotic assistant for orthopedic surgery. The basis of this approach is the creation of modularized workflows where different types of tasks and tools can be adapted to the needs of a surgical procedure.
Team AUROVAS – Italy
Due to a lack of medical staff, there are no ultrasound screening campaigns to detect dangerous and asymptomatic vascular diseases. The concept of Team AUROVAS from the University of Ferrara therefore includes an autonomous robotic system to perform standardized ultrasound procedures to identify relevant vascular indicators. The ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound probe moved by the robot is processed by a deep neural network that segments the vascular structures and provides the final indicators. The system addresses three use cases: detecting abdominal aortic aneurysms, assessing the jugular venous pulse in chronic heart failure, and performing compression ultrasound to detect deep vein thrombosis.
Team ULTRATOPIA – Belgium and Switzerland
Pedicle screw placement (PSP) is a surgical technique used in spinal surgery to stabilize the spine in an anatomically challenging environment. It is most often used for spinal fractures, scoliosis and degenerative disc disease. Team ULTRATOPIA from KU Leuven and Balgrist University Hospital of the University of Zurich, partners in the EU-funded FAROS project, presents an advanced approach using collaborative multi-robotic systems to improve the accuracy of pedicle screw placement through non-radiative imaging. It includes a robotic arm equipped with ultrasound to monitor and guide the robotic drill arm during the procedure. This approach aims to improve the precision of the PSP, reduce registration errors and account for physiological movements to ultimately improve surgical outcomes.
Team HERMIS – Germany
The conventional MRI scanner offers excellent soft tissue contrast, 3D visualization and physiological monitoring capabilities, but the high cost of integrating such imaging devices into hospitals limits their widespread use in smaller clinics and resource-limited countries. The advent of low-field MRI technology has enabled cost-effective diagnostic solutions that are expanding access to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices worldwide. These portable low-field MRI scanners are designed for imaging a specific region of the body due to their limited range of motion, workspace, and magnetic field strength. EndoSurge, a spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, aims to solve these problems with the design and development of HERMIS (Human Endovascular Robotic Magnetic Imaging System), the world’s first robotic, portable MRI scanner for versatile diagnostics.
Judges
The jury consists of renowned professors from the fields of robotics and medicine, founders in the field of medical technology, doctors, an editor from a leading global magazine and experts from industry. An exchange and contact with such experts is often a springboard for further projects.
Here’s what happens next
In order to turn their ideas into reality, KUKA is now providing the finalists with the LBR Med, which can optionally be expanded with an NDI tracking system. The five teams will then present their concepts to an international audience of trade fair visitors, the media and investors at a major trade fair in 2025. The winner of the €20,000 innovation prize will also be selected and presented there.
Medical Robotics Challenge 2.0: Apply now for the KUKA Innovation Award 2025
The new round of the KUKA Innovation Award is all about robotics ideas for the future of medicine and healthcare. The finalists can look forward to a professional appearance at a major trade fair – and €20,000 in prize money for the winner. Teams can now apply with their innovative ideas.
he motto of the new round of the KUKA Innovation Award is therefore “Medical Robotics Challenge 2.0”, with the focus on robotics concepts for diagnosis, rehabilitation, surgery, and many other forms of therapy. The applicants should look into the future of medicine with innovative and interactive methods to improve health and care.