LaserNAVI - Artificial intelligence collaborative robot for patient-specific laser treatment of vascular lesions

The increase in the aging population, with an anticipated 15% of the world population being over age 65 by 2050, brings significant challenges to the health and aesthetics segments. The use of laser therapy for dermatology, with more than 17 million procedures per year, is expected to increase since it allows non-invasive and infection-free treatments. However, currently available laser devices require manual handling and visual skin inspection by physicians, making the task challenging and leading to suboptimal treatments, undesirable side effects, and patient discomfort. This process is also physically exhausting, limiting the number of treatments per day.

To promote a safer, easier, and more effective therapy for laser treatments, the team created LaserNAVI. This technology integrates medical robotic precision with AI guidance, empowering physicians for optimal handling throughout the entire treatment process, from planning to patient follow-up. With LaserNAVI we expect to provide consistent, superior performance and increased throughput through superior speed, efficacy, and user-friendliness. During this project we want to go further on the development and implementation of LaserNAVI, incorporating quality and regulatory measures, and conducting clinical trials.

The project is funded by La Caixa” Banking Foundation CaixaImpulse Innovation 2024 Call and it is an international collaboration between SDU and 2Ai laboratory at The Polytechnic of Cávado and Ave (IPCA) in Portugal.