Research Focus

• Mobile service robots for surgery and care
• Clinical networking and digitalisation 
• Clinical workflow optimization 

Ongoing Projects

AURORA

In the course of surgical interventions, the so-called "OR circulator" performs various tasks in the non-sterile area of the operating theatre. In clinical practice, however, this often leads to drastic delays in the procedure due to overworking of the personnel. Therefore, the aim of the project is the development of a context-sensitive mechatronic assistance system, which is able to navigate autonomously in the non-sterile area of the operating room and thereby relieves the OR circulator and the rest of the surgical team....

Completed Projects

PLAFOKON

The aim of the project is the further development of the minimally invasive surgical platform "Single-Port Overtube" (SPOT) and its seamless integration into clinical procedures. This is to be achieved by a holistic view of the surgical treatment path from allocation to discharge...

Publications

2024

• Bernhard, Lukas; Schwingenschlögl, Patrik; Hofmann, Jörg; Wilhelm, Dirk; Knoll, Alois (2024): Boosting the hospital by integrating mobile robotic assistance systems: a comprehensive classification of the risks to be addressed. In: Auton Robot 48 (1). DOI: 10.1007/s10514-023-10154-0.

2023

• Völk, Christopher; Bernhard, Lukas; Völk, Dominik; Weiten, Markus; Wilhelm, Dirk; Biberthaler, Peter (2023): Mobiler C-Bogen – Strahlenbelastung und Workflow-Killer? : Potenzial eines innovativen Assistenzsystems für die intraoperative Positionierung. In: Unfallchirurgie (Heidelberg, Germany) 126 (12), S. 928–934. DOI: 10.1007/s00113-023-01380-3.
• Wagner, Lars; Kolb, Sven; Leuchtenberger, Patrick; Bernhard, Lukas; Jell, Alissa; Wilhelm, Dirk (2023) Deep learning assisted intraoperative instrument cleaning station for robotic scrub nurse systems. In at - Automatisierungstechnik, 71(7), 572-579. DOI: 10.1515/auto-2023-0062
• Wagner, Lars; Kolb, Sven, Looschen, Christian, Bernhard, Lukas; Fuchtmann, Jonas; Berlet, Maximilian; Fottner, Johannes; Knoll, Alois; Wilhelm, Dirk (2023) Versatile end effector for laparoscopic robotic scrub nurse. In Int J CARS. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-023-02892-4

2022

• Müller, Carolin; Bernhard, Lukas; Wilhelm, Dirk (2022) Usage of a graph database for the selection of sterile items in the OR. In Int J CARS. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-022-02795-w.
• Baumann, Oskar; Lenz, Alexander; Hartl, Josef; Bernhard, Lukas; Knoll, Alois Christian (2022): Intuitive teaching of medical device operation to clinical assistance robots. In Int J CARS. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-022-02802-0.
• Amato, Carlos; Yang, Chengyuan; Bernhard, Lukas; Giulianotti, Pier Cristoforo; Kondrat, Paul; Ratib, Osman; Wilhelm, Dirk (2022): Towards the OR of the future: introducing an adaptive and technology-embracing OR wing layout. In Int J CARS. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-022-02760-7.
• Bernhard, Lukas; Amalanesan, Antony Francis; Baumann, Oskar; Rothmeyer, Florian; Hafner, Yannic; Berlet, Maximilian; Wilhelm, Dirk; Knoll, Alois (2022): Mobile service robots for the operating room wing: balancing cost and performance by optimizing robotic fleet size and composition. In Int J CARS. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-022-02735-8.
• Bernhard, Lukas; Völk, Christopher; Völk, Dominik; Rothmeyer, Florian; Xu, Zhencan; Ostler, Daniel; Biberthaler, Peter; Wilhelm, Dirk (2022): RAY-POS: a LIDAR-based assistance system for intraoperative repositioning of mobile C-arms without external aids. In International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-022-02571-w.
• Jell, Alissa; Fuchtmann, Jonas; Xiao, Michel; Bernhard, Lukas; Berlet, Max; Feussner, Hubertus; Wilhelm, Dirk (2022): Robotic Endoscope Control - State of the Art of Voice Control and Other Options for Laparoscopic Camera Robot Guidance. In Surgical technology international 40, pp. 17–24. DOI: 10.52198/22.STI.40.SO1545.
• Berlet, Maximilian; Fuchtmann, Jonas; Bernhard, Lukas; Jell, Alissa; Weber, Marie-Christin; Neumann, Philipp-Alexander et al. (2022): Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy – A Proper Model Surgery for AI based Prediction of Adverse Events? In Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 8 (1), pp. 5–8. DOI: 10.1515/cdbme-2022-0002.
• Wagner, Lars; Bernhard, Lukas; Fuchtmann, Jonas; Asim Karaoglu, Mert; Ladikos, Alexander; Feußner, Hubertus; Wilhelm, Dirk (2022): Integrating 3D cameras into sterile surgical environments: A comparison of different protective materials regarding scan accuracy. In Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 8 (1), pp. 25–29. DOI: 10.1515/cdbme-2022-0007.

2021

• Amato, Carlos; McCanne, Leslie; Yang, Chengyuan; Ostler, Daniel; Ratib, Osman; Wilhelm, Dirk; Bernhard, Lukas (2021): The hospital of the future: rethinking architectural design to enable new patient-centered treatment concepts. In International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-021-02540-9.
• Bernhard, Lukas; Krumpholz, Roman; Krieger, Yannick; Czempiel, Tobias; Meining, Alexander; Navab, Nassir et al. (2021): PLAFOKON: a new concept for a patient-individual and intervention-specific flexible surgical platform. In Surgical endoscopy. DOI: 10.1007/s00464-021-08908-x.
• Ostler, Daniel; Steger, Jana; Bernhard, Lukas; Yu, Kevin; Hartwig, Regine; Feussner, Hubertus; Wilhelm, Dirk (2021): “Hybrid” scientific conference: lessons learned from the digital annual meeting of the CARS international conference during the Covid-19 pandemic. In Innovative Surgical Sciences 0 (0). DOI: 10.1515/iss-2021-0012.

2020

• Bernhard, Lukas; Ostler, Daniel; Feußner, Hubertus; Wilhelm, Dirk (2020): Integrating autonomously navigating assistance systems into the clinic: guiding principles and the ANTS-OR approach. In International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery. DOI: 10.1007/s11548-020-02137-8.
• Jell, Alissa; Bernhard, Lukas; Shah, Dhaval; Feußner, Hubertus (2020): Cinemanography: fusing manometric and cinematographic data to facilitate diagnostics of dysphagia. In Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 6 (1). DOI: 10.1515/cdbme-2020-0011.
• Ostler, Daniel; Wilhelm, Dirk; Bernhard, Lukas; Fuchtmann, Jonas; Kranzfelder, Michael; Vogel, Thomas; Feussner, Hubertus (2020): Machine Learning in the OR: A Collaborative Environment for Surgical Interventions in Visceral Medicine. In Surgical technology international 37, pp. 16–21.

2019

• Bernhard, Lukas; Ostler, Daniel; Feußner, Hubertus; Wilhelm, Dirk (2019): Intuitive Orchestrierung kontext-adaptiver chirurgischer Assistenzsysteme. In Oliver Burgert, Bernhard Hirt (Eds.): Tagungsband der 18. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Computer- und Roboterassistierte Chirurgie, pp. 148–151.

Expert Lectures

2022

• Viszeralmedizin 2022 (DGVS/DGAV): Presentation of the research project PLAFOKON
• Munich_I / AI.Society 2022: Presentation of the research project AURORA
• CARS 2022: Mobile service robots for the operating room wing: Balancing cost and performance by optimizing robotic fleet size and composition

2021

• Siemens Healthineers "InspireX Talk": AURORA – using robotics in medicine where they are urgently needed
• CTAC 2021: Der robotische Springer: Ziele und Herausforderungen des AURORA-Projekts
• CARS 2021: Task allocation using wearable devices for managing mixed human robot teams within the OR wing
• CARS 2021: The Hospital of the Future
• Chirurgische Forschungstage 2021: Workshop: Medizinrobotik
• CURAC 2021: Integrating autonomous mobile robotic fleets into the OR wing – a technical or an ethical challenge?
• CURAC 2021: RAY-POS: Ein LIDAR-basiertes Assistenz-System für die Intraoperative C-Bogen-Repositionierung
• D-NOTES 2021: Evaluation eines Automaten für die endoskopische Instrumentensteuerung
• CURAC Academy: Vorstellung des Forschungsprojekts AURORA
• Vorlesung "Trends in Medical Engineering" (TUM): Gastvortrag: Surgical Robotics

2020

• CARS 2020: Integrating autonomously navigating assistance systems into the clinic: guiding principles and the ANTS-OR approach
• CURAC 2020: ANTS: Eine dynamische Scheduling-Plattform für die Orchestrierung von autonomen selbst-navigierenden robotischen Assistenzsystemen in der Klinik
• CURAC 2020: Technische Module: PLAFOKON
• CURAC 2020: Cinemanography: fusing manometric and cinematographic data to facilitate diagnostics of dysphagia

2019

• DGE-BV 2019: Sprachverstehendes System als zentrale Mensch-Maschine-Schnittstelle - Integration von Sprachinteraktion in den kognitiven Operationssaal
• CURAC 2019: Intuitive Orchestrierung kontext-adaptiver chirurgischer Assistenzsysteme
• electronica Medical Electronics Conference (eMEC) 2019: Intuitive orchestration of context-sensitive surgical assistance systems

Student Research Projects

2021

• Master's Thesis: Simulation-based Evaluation of Fleet Management Approaches for Autonomous Self-Driving Robotic Systems in the Hospital
• Master's Thesis: Development of a LiDAR-based support system for intraoperative C-arm repositioning
• HiWi: Implementation of a voice interaction interface for mobile service robots for the OR wing

2020

• Master's Thesis: Development of a workflow-adaptive instrument management system for a surgical single-port robot
• Semester Thesis: Determination of the Forces Occurring During the Manipulation of Tissues Throughout Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgery
• Semester Thesis: Further development of an intraoperative force measurement sensor including a standardized calibration process for determining the forces occurring during laparoscopic surgery
• HiWi: Cinemanography - Assisting diagnosis of dysphagia through fusion of manometric and cinematographic data