EURON Key AreasResearchAll EURON members are involved in robotics research, so EURON does not need to do any research itself, although it does fund a limited number of well-focussed and defined projects. Instead, the Research Key Area focusses on providing structure and resources to help focus effort and make research more efficient. An important result of EURON I was a Robotics Research Roadmap designed to lay out opportunities for developing and employing advanced robot technology over the next 10 - 20 years (2002 to 2022). The document describes the current state of the art under several headings, identifies tasks and missions for future robot generation systems and areas to which these systems could be applied, and considers the theoretical and technological advances required to implement the intended robotic systems. The roadmap is under constant development, so that it remains up-to-date. EURON's benchmark website contains a detailed survey and inventory of current efforts in comparative research. For companies entering into robotics it is crucial to get access to comparative studies to truly assess the value of new methods. A collection of benchmarks will be added as these are developed. A number of Special Interest Groups were started under EURON I and several continue under EURON II. |
Robot of the WeekSurgery wormAn aid for heart surgeons
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) replaces the wide incision used for classic operations with a few small incisions, through which the tips of robot arms are inserted: one holding a camera and others holding surgical tools. These arms are controlled by the surgeons carrying out the operation. Our surgery worm is an articulated arm designed for heart surgery, more precisely Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). The articulated snake-like forearm can carry various tools along twisting paths, minimising impact on the patient. This reduces patient trauma, postoperative pain and recovery time The fixture is a good example of a Micro Electro Mechanical System (MEMS), with force-actuation and shape-control being intrinsic properties. A prototype of the surgical instrument has been machined in Paris and will be tested in vivo. We are currently developing new task-oriented end-effectors, such as a self-operating sewing rig able to operate with a single thread. The surgery worm was developed by a collaboration between the PMAR Lab of EURON member 95, the University of Genova, Italy, and the LRP laboratory of the University of Paris 6, France.
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