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Outcomes

Public Deliverables

Work Package 2

D2.1. PALPABLE_D2.1_Project_Website_and_Promotional_Material

Work Package 3

D3.1 PALPABLE_D3.1_REPORT_ON_FUNCTIONAL_REQUIREMENTS

Work Package 6

D6.1 >10 SETS OF 3 BEND SENSITIVE OPTICAL FIBERS

Publications

Variable Stiffness & Dynamic Force Sensor for Tissue Palpation
Authors: Abu Bakar Dawood, Zhenyu Zhang, Martin Angelmahr, Alberto Arezzo, Kaspar Althoefer

SoftER: A Spiral Soft Robotic Ejector for Sorting Applications
Authors: Ilias Zournatzis, Sotiris Kalaitzakis, Panagiotis Polygerinos

Abraded optical fibre-based dynamic range force sensor for tissue palpation
Authors: Abu Bakar Dawood, Vamsi Krishna Chavali, Thomas Mack, Zhenyu Zhang, Hareesh Godaba, Martin Angelmahr, Kaspar Althoefer

Enabling Shape Sensing in MIS Using a Two-Photon Polymerized Waveguide
Authors : G. Violakis, E. Athanasaki, S. Kostakis, N. Vardakis, N. Tiriakidis, K. Tiriakidis, T. Tiriadikou, Z. Zhang, M. Angelmahr, P. Polygerinos

Omnidirectional soft pneumatic actuators: a design and optimization framework
Authors : Maria Moutousi, Panagiotis Polygerinos

Single-to-four core optical fiber coupling using a two-photon polymerization produced waveguide
Authors: Georgios Violakis, Eleni Athanasaki, Stylianos Kostakis, Nikolaos Tiriakidis, Kosmas Tiriakidis, Thomais Tiriakidou, Panagiotis Polygerinos

From precision to strength: computer vision for suture quality assessment—an ex vivo pilot study
Authors: Roberto Spagnulo, Francesco Marzola, Federica Corso, Giovanni Distefano, Matteo Pescio, Kengo Hayashi, Federica Barontini, Giulio Dagnino, Kaspar Althoefer, Bruno Siciliano, Sebastien Ourselin, Alberto Arezzo

Flexible Sensor Foil Based on Polymer Optical Waveguide for Haptic Assessment
Authors: Zhenyu Zhang, Abu Bakar Dawood, Georgios Violakis, Ahmad Abdalwareth, Günter Flachenecker, Panagiotis Polygerinos, Kaspar Althoefer, Martin Angelmahr, Wolfgang Schade

Stepwise organ-preserving management of incidental pT1 rectal adenocarcinoma: outcomes after completion transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM)
Authors: Alberto Arezzo, Carlo Alberto Ammirati, Giovanni Distefano, Michele Barbiero, Simone Arolfo, Roberto Passera, Mario Morino

Oncologic and survival outcomes of pT2N0 rectal adenocarcinoma treated by transanal local excision: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Alberto Arezzo, Carlo Alberto Ammirati, Giovanni Distefano, Michele Barbiero, Roberto Passera, Mario Morino

Hybrid laparo-endoscopic techniques for challenging colorectal lesions: a systematic review
Authors: Giovanni Distefano, Carlo Alberto Ammirati, Michele Barbiero, Roberto Passera, Alberto Arezzo

In Vivo Study on the Safe Use of a Novel Intraoperative Sensing Tool for Tissue Stiffness Assessment in Endoscopic Surgery
Authors: Georgios Violakis, Pantelis Antonakis, Emmanouil Kritsotakis, Theodoros Kozonis, Leonidas Chardalias, Apostolos Papalois, Georgios Agrogiannis, Effrosyni Kampouroglou, Nikolaos Vardakis, Stylianos Kostakis, Eleni Athanasaki, Zhenyu Zhang, Martin Angelmahr, Manousos Konstadoulakis, Panagiotis Polygerinos

Rapid and Accurate Shape-Sensing Method Using a Multi-Core Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Optical Fiber
Authors: Georgios Violakis, Nikolaos Vardakis, Zhenyu Zhang, Martin Angelmahr, Panagiotis Polygerinos

Efficient Manufacturing of Steerable Eversion Robots with Integrated Pneumatic Artificial Muscles
Authors: Thomas Mack, Cem Suulker, Abu Bakar Dawood, Kaspar Althoefer

Fiber Bragg grating-based tactile sensing tool for minimally invasive surgery
Authors: Zhenyu Zhang, Georgios Violakis, Abu Bakar Dawood, Ahmad Abdalwareth, Kaspar Althoefer, Panagiotis Polygerinos, Martin Angelmahr, Wolfgang Schade

Promotional Material

PALPABLE Leaflet #1

PALPABLE Poster #1

Redefining the limits of Minimally Invasive Surgery

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement N°101092518.

PALPABLE Sitemap

Project Info

Starting date: 1st January 2023
Duration: 48 months
Coordinator: Tech Hive Labs
Consortium: 10 partners from 7 European countries
More PALPABLE info at CORDIS

Crisis Management State Academy
🔗

The Crisis Management State Academy (CMSA) is an educational, scientific and research institution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the development and adaptation of guidelines, methods and approaches for first responders in cases of natural and man-made disasters.

CMSA contribution
• Literature Review of Vulnerability and Community Capacity Assessment (VCA).
• A special focus of the DRM system will be on vulnerable groups in the community, such as women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, in order to raise awareness of the risks to all people and increase the capacity of the community as a whole
• Creation of local communities resilient to natural disasters, with their involvement in all stages of disaster management and awareness of DRM mechanisms.
• Training of community operators based on disaster scenarios.
• Collection of data and knowledge created by the PANTHEON consortium, including open-access technical and scientific articles, academic articles, and their dissemination in a consistent and efficient manner.

National School of Civil Aviation
🔗

ENAC is a public high school placed under the authority of the French Transport Ministry. ENAC trains engineers in electronics, computer and air transport. It also trains pilots, air traffic controllers and technical experts for maintenance and supervision. Today, ENAC has four academic laboratories: economics and econometrics, interactive computing and systems engineering, applied mathematics (probability, optimisation, operational research, optimal control, etc.), and telecommunications (GNSS navigation, communication and Electromagnetism). On top of academic research, ENAC is also focused on applied research through research programs like mini and micro RPAS. This program is split in three main themes: development of an OpenSource RPA System named Paparazzi (http://paparazzi.enac.fr), RPAS integration in the airspace and civil applications for small RPAS. This project was born in 2003 from a will to build a cheap fixed wing autonomous MAV (Micro Air Vehicle). The UAV laboratory involves research into many fields: communication, navigation, surveillance systems, simulation, optimisation, air transport, system engineering, HMI, controls, applied mathematics and also traffic regulation.

Epsilon
🔗

EPSILON Malta Ltd (EPSILON, Malta, www.epsilonmalta.com) is an independent Technology Resources Engineering & Consulting company with expertise in Shipping, Aerospace, Geoinformatics, Water & Environment, Energy, Regional Development, Homeland Security & Natural Disasters, Civil Protection, and Economics and Management. EPSILON has a history since 1985 in Boston, USA, as established by its today, Shareholder. Today it operates worldwide as a legally fully independent company with Head Offices in Malta and supporting expertise for other Epsilon companies in GR, BG, CY, DE, IT and allied offices and companies in most European countries, with well-built links with foremost world technology organisations. EPSILON delivers engineering & consulting services, outsourcing & R&D commodities, training, and state-of-technology products such as geospatial database infrastructures and up-to-the-minute navigation & environment technologies. EPSILON shareholders and staff have carried expertise in RTD since 1990, with 100+ RTD Projects (FP3-to-HORIZON) with vast expertise in Business plans, Management of Projects, and marketing & Promotional Plans.

Future Intelligence Ltd.
🔗

Future Intelligence (FINT) is a leading and highly innovative Group of Companies specialising in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The Group was initially established in Greece in 2009, is privately held, and its main facilities are located in Greece, the United Kingdom and Cyprus. FINT provides highly demanding solutions and business services covering a number of activities in the fields of long-range communications (WiMAX, LTE, 5G), short-range communications (WSN, M2M, IoT), and Future Internet (distributed cloud environments, artificial intelligence) and Aviation.

FINT is one of the leading IoT device manufacturers in Europe. The company’s objective is to build a smart IoT-enabled ecosystem (FINoT Platform) which can expand horizontally and vertically, providing a playground for vendors, OEMs and software engineers. FINT will contribute to the development of the DSS and the SCDT model through its IoT environmental monitoring, AI and cloud processing expertise.

Hellenic Police
🔗

The Hellenic Police assumed its present structure in 1984 when the Gendarmerie (Chorofylaki) and the Urban Police Forces (Astynomia Poleon) were merged (Law 1481/1-10-1984, Government Gazette 152 A). Hellenic Police (Elliniki Astynomia) is a Law Enforcement Agency according to the Law nr. 2800/2000, and its mission is to:

• ensure peace and order as well as citizens` unhindered social development, a mission that includes general policing duties and traffic safety

• prevent and interdict crime, as well as protect the State and the democratic form of government within the framework of constitutional order, a mission that also includes the implementation of public and state security policy

Hellenic Police is comprised of both central and regional Services. Hellenic Police`s headquarters is the supreme authority over these Services. Its efforts centre on the fulfilment of the Force`s mission within the framework of the Ministry of Citizen’s Protection policy. For this reason, it schedules, directs, oversees and monitors the activities of its Services, and it ensures the necessary conditions for the exercise of its authority.

In its continuous mission to serve and protect citizens, Hellenic Police has responded to our times` demands and challenges by improving training, adopting a modern crime prevention policy, better utilising science and technology and exploiting international law enforcement cooperation.

INTEROPTICS
🔗

INTEROPTICS SA was founded in 1994 and is based in Athens, Greece. Our geographical market scope covers Greece & the Republic of Cyprus.

Customer focus: Higher education institutions, secondary education schools, hospitals, medical societies, museums & archives, municipalities, government organisations, banks, corporations, etc.

The company’s initial commercial focus was:
• Scientific database and journal subscriptions
• IT systems & services

Nowadays, the company’s subscription department provides the following:

• Scientific database subscriptions
• Print & electronic scientific journal subscriptions
• Print & electronic scientific books
• Subscription-based library systems & tools
• Anti-plagiarism and assessment tools
• Document delivery service

The IT systems & services department provides and supports:
• E-Journal development
• Scientific societies member management systems
• Web applications
• Digital repositories & archival collections
• Integrated library systems
• Computer and network hardware
• Distance learning systems

INTEROPTICS has ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 37001:2017 certifications.

International Security and Emergency Management Institute
🔗

The International Security and Emergency Management Institute (ISEMI) is a non-profit organisation providing publicly beneficial services registered within the MoI SR. ISEMI is a professional platform of former or active police and national security officers, military, civil protection and crisis management experts from around the world with necessary security clearance and relevant long-term experience in crime prevention, counter-terrorism and CBRN-E threats in the fight against organised crime, environmental crime, trafficking in human beings, cybercrime, drugs and weapons smuggling. Our team also has a wide experience in intelligence analysis, defence policy, border protection, critical infrastructure protection, countering hybrid threats, rescue and emergency assistance, health protection and in the field of justice and prosecution.

FRHHI
🔗

Fraunhofer is Europe’s largest application-oriented research organisation. Our research efforts are entirely focused on people’s needs in the areas of health, security, communication, energy, and the environment. As a result, the work undertaken by our researchers and developers has a significant impact on people’s lives. The organisation pursues the implementation of innovative research findings in industrial and social applications. Its work is based on a dynamic balance between applied basic research and innovative development projects.

The Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI), a member of the Fraunhofer society, is a world leader in the development of mobile and optical communication networks and systems, fiber optical sensor systems, and video signal processing and coding. The institute’s research is consistently focused on its areas of expertise and offers attractive technical solutions for current and future development demands in society and markets. As an example, the Fraunhofer HHI’s developments in integrated optics and (fiber) optic measurement systems enable new and innovative laser and sensor concepts. In the frame of the Palpable project, a non-planar optical sensor array optimized for minimal invasive surgery will be developed.

QMUL
🔗

Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is one of the UK’s leading research-focused higher education institutions (HEI) and part of the 24 Russell Group UK HEIs. Founded in 1785 as the London Medical College, Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) is the amalgamation of four historic medical institutions, including England’s first medical school. It was officially granted university status in 1887 and now offers over 240 degree programmes across three faculties: Humanities and Social Sciences, Science and Engineering, and Medicine and Dentistry. QMUL has 32,000+ students and nearly 4,500 members of staff, and an annual turnover of over £535m.

The Centre for Advanced Robotics @ Queen Mary (ARQ) has a state-of-the-art robotics lab for teaching and research, since October 2016. The lab is equipped with the most modern robotic systems, including mobile robots, robot arms and manipulation devices as well as specialised equipment including medical robotics devices, soft robot fabrication systems and sensor manufacturing and testing equipment. The lab also boasts rapid prototyping facilities which will be used to fabricate prototypes for this project.

Medtronic
🔗

Medtronic is the global leader for medical devices -alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people worldwide – the global pioneer of advanced surgical instruments. It has the purpose of delivering meaningful innovation to enhance clinical decision-making, improve patient outcomes, and drive economic value in open, laparoscopic and robotic-assisted surgery. Medtronic has a wide range of CE-marked and FDA approved products and therapies in the surgical field.

Medtronic Ibérica from Spain participates in the PALPABLE project. It is highly experienced in creating and developing commercialisation and exploitation strategies as well as dissemination and communication plan when considering solutions for the healthcare industry and European Projects. With its expertise in the field, Medtronic Iberica will also contribute to defining the Exploitation Plan to achieve the goals of the PALPABLE project.

EAES
🔗

The European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) was founded in 1990 and since then has become a growing and dynamic organisation that continues to play a leading role in Endoscopic Surgery and Allied Interventional Techniques. Aside from organising annual Top Level European Congresses in different European countries, the EAES activities in education, training, research, development, and publication are effected through its various Committees.

Vision: Safe and sustainable surgery for all.

Mission: Drive continuous education and quality assurance to improve patient outcome. Promote ground-breaking innovation and technology in surgery related healthcare. Embrace equity, honesty, transparency and respect for patients, members and environment. Believe in patient safety, innovations, quality, sustainability and training.

Respect
Inclusiveness
Fairness
Honesty
Equality

The EAES has close to 4,000 members from more than 110 countries and, together with the US-based association (SAGES), publishes the scientific journal Surgical Endoscopy.

Bendabl
🔗

Bendabl is a high-tech SME specialising in pneumatically actuated soft robotic solutions. Based in Athens, Greece, the company’s team has over 10 years of experience across the entire lifecycle of customised robotics development, from mechanical design, and Finite-Element modelling to soft robot fabrication techniques and control algorithms.

Bendabl is comprised of a team of engineers with a passion about robotics of a very special breed: soft. The company’s core vision is that the future belongs to robots that can reach the pinnacle of adaptability; the very change of their physical properties.

Having accumulated deep expertise in pneumatically-actuated mechanisms and soft structure manufacturing, Bendabl aspires to be the pioneers of this new generation of robots. To push the boundaries of their capability. To broaden the range of applications they can help with. And most importantly, to flatten the learning curve of both developing and deploying them.

UoEssex
🔗

The University of Essex (UESS) is gold-rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework 2017, and we’re in the top 25 for research quality in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide. We’re committed to excellence in research for the benefit of individuals, communities, and the industry, and we provide extensive open access to our research repository.

The Essex Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre brings together the research skills, expertise and technologies across our Faculty of Humanities, Science and Health, and Social Sciences to address the grand challenges facing citizens, workers, and all those technologists in sectors undergoing digital transformation to create new – or modify existing – business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements. We have the ambition of developing a sustainable funding model for our research fit for the rigours of the emerging UK research environment. We reach beyond the confines of academia as we have a clear mandate to work with business partners in the UK and overseas. We’re different because we bring a commercial mindset to our work. We start with and are responsive to business needs. We work hard to make sure they are getting the outputs they need when they need them. We’re not bound by tradition and offer fresh perspectives and innovation in all we do.

Sofradim
🔗

Sofradim Production from France, one of the Medtronic entities, participates in the PALPABLE project. It is part of Medtronic Surgical Operating unit (OU). The OU technologies are used across 50+ procedures (including lung, colorectal, gynaecological, obesity & metabolic, general surgeries) and in all types of surgeries (open, laparoscopic, endoluminal & robotic-assisted surgeries). They are used for access (i.e. Entry into the abdominal or thoracic cavity), Dissection (i.e. Identification of critical structures and division of attachments and blood vessels), Resection/Repair (i.e. Removal or manipulation of target tissue), Resection/Repair (i.e. Removal or manipulation of target tissue) and Visualization (i.e. Enabling surgeons to see the unseen in minimally invasive surgeries). Sofradim will bring this expertise to the project by contributing to the standardisation of the PALPABLE tool.

HMU
🔗

The Hellenic Mediterranean University (EL.ME.PA., English: Hellenic Mediterranean University‎, H.M.U.) is a public academic institution of Greece, with headquarters in Heraklion, Crete and branches in the cities of Chania, Rethimno, Agios Nikolaos, Ierapetra and Sitia. The Hellenic Mediterranean University was founded in early 2019 (Law 4610/2019, Official Gazette 70, issue A’, 07/05/2019), after the passing of the multi-law bill. Today it consists of six Faculties, with more than 15,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students and approximately 400 teaching and research staff. Its academic history starts in the late 1970.

The main goal of the School of Engineering is to provide high-quality education and training in the field of Engineering. The School offers undergraduate programs corresponding to level 7 (integrated masters) of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), postgraduate programs corresponding to level 7, as well as doctoral programs to obtain a PhD degree (level 8).

The interdepartmental Control Systems & Robotics Laboratory (CSRL) is a partnership of the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering of the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU), and promotes research, development, and education activities in the areas of control systems, robotics, soft robotics, automation and mechatronics. The project’s research and development efforts are hosted at the Control Systems and Robotics Laboratory (CSRL) of the Hellenic Mediterranean University. CSRL has extensive expertise and modern facilities for prototype development and testing of mechatronics and robotics systems.

UNITO
🔗

The University of Turin (UNITO) was founded in 1404. It counts almost 4.000 employees and hosts 80,000, including 1,800 PhD/post-doc/research fellows. It is structured into 27 departments, encompassing all scientific disciplines. It deals with 500 new projects per year at both national and international levels since 2016, with an overall income of about 250 M€.

The Department of Surgical Sciences (DSS) belongs to the School of Medicine, and it is composed of 91 members belonging to all the different surgical disciplines. It represents the largest Department of Surgical Sciences in Italy. The faculty staff covers leading positions in the international arena of scientific research. It successfully participated in projects regarding the use of new technologies in the surgical and endoscopic area within FP5, FP6, FP7, H2020 and now HEU frameworks. Research activities are focused on: minimally invasive therapy, robotics, clinical imaging and interventional radiology, innovative materials for surgical applications.

DSS hosts the Minimally Invasive Therapy and Innovation Center (MITIC), which includes 2 dry labs and wet labs of about 300 sqm each, a virtual lab for laparoscopy and flexible endoscopy, and operating rooms for clinical activities. The MITIC is equipped with all the most recent technology for minimally invasive surgery. In 2018-2022 DSS was awarded the “Department of Excellence” grant by the Ministry of University with 8.7 M€.

Tech Hive Labs
🔗

TECH HIVE LABS (THL) is a European centre of excellence in Robotics and AI, where bold ideas and applied research turn into industrial solutions with real impact. We blend the curiosity of a lab with the precision of a business leader to drive technology engineering and transform experimentation into real-world capability, empowering entrepreneurs and enterprises to innovate with confidence and deliver measurable results.

Our motto is “Serious Playground. Real Impact.”, which is also our way of working. We offer diverse engagement models, from collaborative projects and knowledge exchange to engineering consulting and technology transfer, to suit the specific needs of research collaborators and industry partners and ensure that every endeavour drives real results.