Description

Surgical technology can transform outcomes, but innovation does not automatically translate into equitable access, real-world adoption, or sustainable impact. Many important clinical needs remain under-addressed because cases are dispersed, evidence is difficult to generate, workflows are demanding, and the resources required for deployment vary widely across settings. At the same time, devices are increasingly expected to be not only effective and safe, but also affordable, repairable, low-impact, and scalable.
This workshop presents a unified roadmap for responsible surgical innovation, spanning clinical need, design philosophy, device architecture, and implementation pathways. It highlights “smart-by-structure” strategies, where function is embedded in materials, geometry, and embodied intelligence, to enable devices that achieve sensing, actuation, and safety with reduced complexity, improved usability, and a smaller environmental footprint.

Across four interactive sessions, speakers from clinical practice, research, and translational teams will discuss: (1) defining the right problems and endpoints across diverse clinical contexts and access constraints; (2) selecting materials and mechanisms that support smart actuation/sensing and workflow-aware usability; (3) translating these principles into robust device architectures inspired by nature and compliant design; and (4) enabling adoption through affordability, circular design, industrial scaling, regulation, procurement, training, and maintenance, especially beyond high-resource environments.

The workshop combines short talks with moderated discussion and audience participation. Participants will leave with practical principles and a concrete framework for moving from need-led ideas to deployable surgical technologies that are effective, usable, equitable, and sustainable.

Structure (4 sessions)

  1. Clinical need / context: needs from research, clinics and translation; global access constraints; selecting meaningful outcomes.
  2. Design philosophy: smart-by-structure materials; actuation and sensing; safety and usability by design; low-impact choices.
  3. Device architecture: bioinspiration, compliant/soft structures, modularity, reliability, sterilisation and manufacturability.
  4. Implementation pathways: low-cost and circular design; scaling and supply chains; training; regulation and procurement; adoption in diverse settings.

Programme

08:30Registration & Coffee
09:00Introduction of the workshop
09:15Context-specific designs of medical devices and the (difficult) path into low resource settingsJenny Dankelman, TU Deflt
09:40Medical Devices Beyond the Clinic: Designing for Diverse Users in Women's HealthAoife McDonald-Bowyer, University College London
10:05Designing for Adoption: Bridging Regulation, Procurement and Real-World UseValentina Vitiello, King's College London
10:30Coffee Break
11:00Overcoming Systemic Exposure: Magnetic Microrobots for Targeted Drug DeliveryFabian Landers, ETH Zurich
11:22Towards Equitable and Sustainable Surgical Robotics Through Design, Structure, and MaterialsJulie Legrand, TU Eindhoven
11:44Tissue engineering biological actuators for biohybrid roboticsRitu Raman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
12:06Laser Induced Graphene for Soft Sensors and RoboticsFrancesco Greco, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies
12:30Lunch Break
13:30Circular healthcare: Turning medical and robotic waste into new productsBart Van Straten, TU Delft
13:52Ec(h)o Surgery: Ultrasound For The Future Of Zero Waste HealingAndrea Mariani, Soundsafe Care
14:14The path from concept to clinical use – challenges and lessons learnedGernot Kronreif, ACMIT
14:36Panel Discussion
15:00Coffee Break
15:30Bioinspired Medical Devices: Designing Smartness by NaturePaul Breedveld, TU Delft
15:50Designing interactive medical devices with soft roboticsLukas Lindenroth, King's College London
16:10Unconventional design approaches for low-cost surgical devicesArianna Menciassi, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and Lorenzo Mocellin, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies
16:30Affordable Soft Medical Devices: Engineering Simpler Routes to Better CareJames Chandler, University of Leeds
17:00Workshop End

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Frame surgical innovation challenges by translating clinical problems into clear need statements that include pathway, workflow and access constraints across diverse settings;
  2. Select patient-meaningful endpoints and feasible evaluation strategies for under-addressed indications and early-stage devices;
  3. Apply “smart-by-structure” principles by embedding function in materials, geometry and compliance to achieve actuation/sensing and safety with reduced complexity;
  4. Connect design choices to manufacturability and clinical practicality, including sterilisation compatibility, robustness, and reliability;
  5. Map implementation pathways that anticipate translation barriers – training, regulation, scaling and maintenance – while incorporating lifecycle and sustainability considerations (cost, circular design, reuse/repair and end-of-life). Participants will leave with a concise Need→Design→Architecture→Adoption roadmap for their own project.

Sponsored by:

 

Sponsor This Workshop – Smart by Structure: Designing Surgical Devices for Equity and Sustainability

Suggested Price: £500.00

Sponsor This Workshop for £500

As an official Workshop Sponsor, sponsors will receive:

• Prominent logo placement on the workshop webpage
• Acknowledgement in workshop-related social media posts (LinkedIn, X, and Instagram)/and cross-posting from organiser accounts
• Recognition on prize certificates presented to participants

Sponsorship contributions will support essential workshop operational costs, including speaker travel and accommodation, poster prizes, and participant registration fees.

 

Please note that workshop sponsorship is separate from the symposium sponsorship packages and does not include exhibition or live demonstration opportunities.

You may also enter your own price below. Suggested amount: £500

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Full Day Workshop (09:00 – 17:00)

Organisers


This workshop is accredited for 6 CPD points.

 

 

 

 

 

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