30 n ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATED MANUFACTURING February 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Robotic scanner helps doctors to spot rheumatoid arthritis A Danish medical company called Ropca is using a cobot to help in the early diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. The company was founded as a spin-o from University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense by Professor Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu and Søren Andreas. Their arthritis-scanning robot, called Arthur, can perform ultrasound scans of patients’ hands autonomously. It rst tells a patient to scan in their medical ID, and to put gel on their hand. They then place the hand on the scanner and the machine guides them through the process. When the scan is complete, the result is sent directly to doctors. The potential advantages include shorter waiting times, more reliable AI-based diagnoses, and thus the ability to start treatment sooner. Before the arrival of the robotic arthritis scanning system, doctors relied on X-rays and conventional scans which took a lot of time. The new system has been tested at a hospital in the city of Svendborg to see how patients would react getting their scans done by a robot. Everybody wanted to try the system and felt comfortable with it. The interaction between the cobot-based system and patient was found to be intuitive. For one patient who took part in the trial, Flemming Poulsen, the robot means faster diagnoses and quicker treatment. If the robotic system had been available earlier in his treatment, it could have made a big di erence. “The quicker you get a treatment, the less physical damage you get, and the longer you can work,” he points out. The equipment uses a certied medical cobot from Kuka called the LBR Med. The arm o ers seven degrees of freedom, with the extra degree of motion being used to avoid collisions, or to grasp items. It reduces transitioning movements during close interactions with patients, with the cobot and patient able to share a common “workspace”. The arm can perform a soft “landing” on the patient’s skin. Bill Frederiksen, senior medical ocer in rheumatology and emergency medicine at Svendborg Hospital, sees great opportunities for Arthur, especially as the number of patients is going up, while the number of specialised doctors remains the same or is falling. Under these circumstances, the specialists need help to maintain an ecient workow. With the new machine, patients can be scanned before seeing a specialist. The robotic scanning system captures highquality images of all of the joints in a hand. AI helps to ensure the quality of the ultrasound images. With the automated examinations, patients can be monitored much more often. The machine helps to identify patients in need of urgent care, collecting more data earlier to secure faster treatment. It can perform ultrasound scans quicker than specialists, accelerating the process. As Frederiksen puts it: “Arthur never gets tired and can scan 24/7.” Ropco’s co-founder, Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu, who is also professor of healthcare robotics and AI at the SDU, is planning to build further robotic systems that can be used to diagnose other joint problems, and to take the technology worldwide. “I think it’s very inspiring to create solutions that will help people. I’m particularly proud of Arthur, because it’s already out there,” he says. “While we’re speaking, it’s scanning patients. That, in itself, is a great reward.” Frederiksen sees the potential for robots to help in other areas of medicine as well. He reports that the Arthur system “is working extremely well” and hopes that it will lead to quicker, more ecient patient visits. n A Danish company has devised a robotic ultrasound scanning system for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis. The system can lead to earlier diagnoses, allowing treatment to start sooner. The robotic ultrasound scanning system helps to diagnose rheumatoid arthritis problems quicker, allowing treatment to start sooner. Image: Kuka
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