AAOS 2025: KUKA Showcasing Cobots for Medical Applications

Targeting the reduction of work-related injury for healthcare workers and shortening time-to-market for medical device OEMs, KUKA Robotics will exhibit cobot automation at this year’s American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.

The even’ts attendees can gain a better understanding of the ways in which KUKA’s LBR iisy cobot solution 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 solutions. 

Due to 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. Using robot technology such as KUKA’s LBR iisy cobot, however, can take the strain off these technicians by precisely conducting these repetitive exams autonomously. 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 OEMs developing special medical device solutions, 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 in the deployment of the 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 robust haptic capabilities, the ability to perceive external influences and safe collision detection. The seven-axis lightweight robot is flexible and easily integrated into a variety of medical solutions and activities.  

KUKA is a global automation corporation with sales of around 3.3 billion euro and roughly 14,000 employees. Headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, the company supplies intelligent automation solutions, offeringh customers everything they need from a single source: from robots and cells to fully automated systems and their networking in markets such as automotive, electronics, metal and plastic, consumer goods, e-commerce/retail and healthcare.