Spoke 9 serves as a meeting point for academic, clinical, and industrial partners in the Tuscany Region, united by the common goal of advancing the field of robotics applied to health. The activities of Spoke 9 focus on developing innovative robotic solutions, from conceptualization to in-vivo testing on humans, and are organized into three main areas of intervention.
1. Clinical Robotics and Smart Systems: This area is primarily focused on surgery and diagnostics. In surgery, the goal is to integrate and enhance existing robotic technologies with new devices and specific workflows. In diagnostics, the focus is on developing and validating tele-robotic solutions for remote ultrasound diagnosis and remote control of clinical and pharmaceutical laboratories.
2. Assistive and Rehabilitative Robotics and Smart Devices: In this domain, Spoke 9 works on advanced technologies for restoring sensory-motor functions in patients, such as robotic devices and wearable interfaces that enable people with disabilities to interact once again with their environment.
3. Automation in Healthcare: This area is dedicated to automating pharmaceutical processes and hospital logistics. It includes the development of systems for product tracking, real-time monitoring of interconnected processes, and automated management of logistical activities such as cleaning, disinfection, surveillance, and the transportation of materials, medications, and patients.