STIMULATE team wins Hugo Junkers Award
An interdisciplinary project team has developed the innovative µRIGS system at the research campus STIMULATE, winning the first place in the category "Most Innovative Projects in Applied Research" at the prestigious Hugo Junkers Science Award ceremony on 07 June 2023. The research and development work were carried out by the team of Ivan Vogt (Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg) and Robert Odenbach (Neoscan Solutions GmbH) as well as Marcel Gutberlet and Bennet Hensen (both Hannover Medical School).
The µRIGS project, which stands for "micropositioning robots for image guided surgeries," aims to simplify magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) intervention and provide patients with precise and efficient treatment using a semi-autonomous system for remote instrument manipulation. In particular, the µRIGS system addresses highly precise and safe tumor detection and therapy. The µRIGS system was designed to be technically simple, compact and cost-saving. Thus, it shows a high range of application for clinical interventions and at the same time enables a cost-efficient execution of precise treatments. Patients can thus be treated in the best possible way in combination with MRI.
Currently, the µRIGS system is in the demonstrator stage and is being tested in different design variants. In collaboration with clinical cooperation partners, these demonstrators are being tested on phantom models in order to further research and optimize the system. The system is mainly researched and developed at the research campus STIMULATE as well as at the radiological centers of the University Hospital Magdeburg and Hannover.
Congratulations on this great achievement!
Text and photo: Research Campus STIMULATE
