The LARA project (LAser Robotic Applications) continues its progess, and the consortium met in late November at the Institut d'Optique d'Aquitaine. Launched in 2022, this project aims to build a prototype (called the LARA machine) combining a femtosecond laser source optimized for bone cutting in maxillofacial surgery with a robotic arm and positioning and monitoring systems.

A step towards automated robotics

Last July, the project entered a new phase with the integration of a machine that integrates all the technological building blocks provided by the various project partners: the robotic arm, OCT, the digital twin scan device...). At the consortium meeting in November, the various partners (CHU de Bordeaux, CRITT Informatique, Institut Pprime, Tecnalia) and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, which is funding the project, were present to discover the LARA medical device and see a demonstration of it operating. A demo set up in the ALPhANOV laboratories demonstrated the workflow followed by clinicians, enabling complex surgical procedures to be carried out with greater precision and in a completely automated way.

State-of-the-art precision measurement systems

A 3D optical measurement system mounted on the robotic arm's end effector initiates the digital reconstruction of the patient's skull, involving the fusion of several point clouds acquired from several points of view. This reconstruction both represents the surface to be operated on within a digital twin for supervision purposes and guides the orientation of the laser.

A 3D locating device using IR detectors always provides information on the position of each element in the operating room (LARA robot, operating table, patient) and the exact positioning of the robotic arm. An IR detector is also integrated into the stylus used by the surgeon to trace the cutting trajectory on the patient's skull in the pre-operative planning phase. This trajectory is then transformed into a digital trajectory, which is then implemented by combining the movements of the robot arm and the laser scanner to move the laser beam over the surgical area to be treated.

The LARA project represents a significant advance in the integration of cutting-edge technologies, such as femtosecond lasers combined with robotics, to revolutionize maxillofacial surgery. Thanks to the successful collaboration between the partners and the demonstration carried out during the consortium meeting, this prototype paves the way for a promising exploitation of laser robotic technology for advanced surgery.