Together with robotics and metrology a number of medically based projects have been conducted by the MRU. Medical robotics research included one of the first trials involving robots in accident surgery. The DFG-funded project REPOROBO resulted in the demonstration of an impactive robot gripper capable of prehending the fixture without the danger of slippage. Furthermore, should the patient move, data from a 3D inclination sensor could be used to allow the robot to follow the movements which maintaining prehension.
As part of the medical technology research portfolio of the Mechatronics Research Unit, low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been investigated over almost a decade now. In collaboration with the university hospital Regensburg, the research was aimed at using ultrasound to accelerate the in-vitro growth rate of chondrocytes (cartilage) for tissue engineering purposes. In order to clinically diagnose tooth vitality (ViPr), wavelengths suitable for the reliable detection of blood flow through teeth must be known. For this purpose, transmission spectra of wet human teeth, dentine and enamel, together with blood of differing flow velocities had to be investigated. This project was carried out in collaboration with the Dental surgery unit of the University Hospital, Regensburg.