KUKA to showcase cobots for medical applications at AAOS 2025

Targeting the reduction of work-related injury for healthcare workers and shortening time-to-market for medical device OEMs, KUKA Robotics will bring two advanced medical offerings featuring cobot automation to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2025 annual meeting.

The event takes place in San Diego, Calif., March 10-14, and attendees will see how KUKA’s LBR iisy cobot helps reduce the incidence of arm and shoulder injury to ultrasound technicians and sonographers. A second cobot demonstration will feature a KUKA Robot Development Kit using a LBR MED 14 R820 cobot that helps slash development time for unique medical device systems.

Repetition leads to higher likelihood of medical worker injuries

Because of the repetitive nature of their work, sonographers and ultrasound technicians commonly experience musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis and rotator cuff injury from their work that requires them to apply pressure with abnormal arm and shoulder positioning. KUKA said that using robot technology such as its LBR iisy cobot can take the strain off these technicians by autonomously conducting these repetitive exams with precision.

Equipped with a Haply Inverse3 Hapatic Feedback Teleop device and an OptoForce FT sensor, the LBR iisy robotic arm can be controlled and manipulated to apply the proper amount of force to the imaging head for a proper reading.

The FT sensor accurately measures the forces applied by the six-axis LBR iisy cobot to the ultrasound probe and relays a scaled-down force reading to the haptic feedback device. As a result, the ultrasound tech receives a sense of touch input while avoiding unnatural pressure and strain on their arm, hands and shoulders.

As a collaborative effort between KUKA, Northern Digital, Inc. (NDI) and custom medical device cart manufacturer MPE, KUKA’s Robot Development Kit speeds time-to-market for those OEMs developing special medical device systems, such as robot-assisted brain tumor biopsy cells.

One such cell uses a KUKA LBR MED cobot equipped with NDI optical cameras and trackers that allow it to assist deploying a biopsy needle while making any necessary adjustments via dynamic tracking for safe, precise operation.

The LBR MED, based on the sensitive KUKA LBR iiwa robot, is HRC-compliant with redundant integrated torque sensors, giving it haptic capabilities, the ability to perceive external influences and safe collision detection. The seven-axis lightweight robot is flexible and integrates into a variety of medical technologies and activities.