Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)
Una manera de hacer Europa
Background (project summary)
The main objective of the TREMIRS project “Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery Systems” is to solve the needs of the Extremadura region and Spanish Health System in the field of minimally invasive surgery through the development of innovative solutions in surgical robotics that improve existing systems in the field of laparoscopic surgery and microsurgery. This project seeks to improve the service provided to the patient, improve the surgeon’s ergonomics and offer greater benefits to the surgical team, with the consequent increase in the quality of patient care.
During the three-year duration of the project, it is expected to develop a robotic platform for laparoscopic surgery that will enable new surgical approaches, improvements in surgeon’s ergonomics, advances in vision systems for the entire surgical team and the availability of new portable training tools.
In the field of microsurgery, TREMIRS will provide a teleoperated robotic platform for reconstructive microsurgery, consisting of robotic microinstruments with high maneuverability and precision. It will be used for soft tissue manipulation to perform microsurgical techniques such as anastomosis, suturing and ligation of small anatomical structures including blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic ducts.
This TREMIRS project is framed within the Line of Promotion of Innovation from Demand for Public Procurement of Innovation (FID-CPI Line) of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation with reference CPI-2019-33-1-TRE-14, according to the final resolution proposal of April 8, 2020 signed by the Deputy Assistant Director General for Promotion of Innovation, being co-financed with European funds, ERDF Smart Growth Operational Program 2014-2020, “A way of making Europe”, and by the Ministry of Economy, Science and Digital Agenda of the Regional Government of Extremadura.
Based on the above background, the Jesús Usón Minimally Invasive Surgery Center Foundation (CCMIJU) is publishing this call for Preliminary Market Consultation (hereinafter PMC), thus informing the technological operators about the challenges and needs to be solved.
Purpose of the PMC
The purpose of this PMC is to gather the necessary information for the innovative public procurement with regard to the “Robotic Platform for Laparoscopic Surgery” (Challenge 1) and the “Robotic Platform for Microsurgery” (Challenge 2), and to inform the technology operators about the procurement plans and requirements.
This consultation, in which both individual and legal bodies are allowed to participate, enables the presentation of innovative solutions aimed at responding to the challenges posed. To this end, technologies that exceed the capabilities of those currently available on the market will be used, defining their innovative technical and functional specifications, and that can be achieved through public procurement.
The CCMIJU is expected to gather information from the market on the following Challenges for their correct execution:
Challenge 1. Robotic platform for laparoscopic surgery.
General objectives:
The main objective of this challenge is to provide a robotic platform for laparoscopic surgery that improves existing systems on the market and optimizes conditions during surgery for the patient, the surgeon, the surgical team and medical professionals in training in robotic surgery. To this end, and as aspects of improvement and innovation, the main limitations of current robotic systems for laparoscopic surgery are expected to be addressed, such as their application in new surgical approaches, limited ergonomic conditions for the surgeon, limited access to 3D vision for the entire surgical team and recording of the 3D image of the surgical procedure for later reproduction, and availability of training tools compatible with 3D vision technologies, portable devices and online services.
Specific objectives:
The above general objectives of the challenge entail the development of a series of specific objectives:
- To offer greater precision, maneuverability and quality in minimally invasive surgical procedures.
- To apply robotic surgery to new procedures and surgical approaches.
- To improve and personalize the ergonomic conditions of surgeons during the performance of robotic procedures in minimally invasive surgery, with the consequent reduction in the onset of possible musculoskeletal disorders and their effects on the quality of the surgeon’s surgical performance and the possible sick leave that may result.
- To provide new surgical assistance tools to the entire surgical team, such as the use of 3D, virtual, augmented and mixed imaging techniques.
- To offer new portable tools for distance training in robotic laparoscopic surgery, as well as improved training material, such as the reproduction of 3D videos of actual robotic laparoscopic procedures.
Challenge 2. Robotic platform for microsurgery
General objectives:
The main objective of this challenge is the development of a teleoperated robotic platform to perform open microsurgery procedures with articulated and interchangeable microinstruments. The platform will consist of a set of robotic microinstruments with high maneuverability and precision, operated in an intuitive way similar to that of conventional microsurgery. These microinstruments will allow the manipulation of small soft tissues to perform microsurgical procedures such as anastomosis, suturing and ligation on small anatomical structures including blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic ducts. The system will be compatible with most optical microsurgical microscopes.
Specific objectives:
The above general objectives of the challenge entail the development of a series of specific objectives:
- Development of initial studies for the definition of clinical and technical specifications of robotic microsurgical instruments.
- Design and implementation of a set of multi-articulated robotic microinstruments with the necessary features to perform basic microsurgical procedures, mainly for vascular and lymphatic surgery.
- Design and implementation of an intuitive control system for the robotic microinstruments. These controls will allow microsurgeons to work in an ergonomically appropriate position similar to that during conventional microsurgery.
- Allow to reduce the surgeon’s physiological tremors during the handling of the surgical instruments and the scaling of the surgical movements.
- Enable to perform vascular and lymphatic microsurgical procedures with precision and safety. During the development of the project the safety and feasibility of other microsurgical procedures such as epineural and perineural neuroanastomosis, nerve grafts, vascularized lymph node transfer and vascular and lymphatic anastomosis, among other procedures of interest, will also be evaluated.
- Validation of the teleoperated platform for microsurgery in the performance of basic microsurgical procedures.
Deadline for submitting forms: 27th May, 2021 at 2:00 p.m
Presentation of the PMC launch event
Results of the Project
Innovative systems proposed by the awarded enterprises for both challeges:
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