ASSIST

ASSIST involves the development of a surgically controlled, autonomous manipulator for assisting in surgical operations, which takes over the clamping and presentation of tissue and organs. The project combines highly innovative approaches to machine intelligence and navigation with surgical principles and occupies a niche at the interface between scientific innovation and ethically and legally acceptable autonomy.

AVATAR

Coming soon…

FAIRPLAN

The aim of the FAIRPLAN project is to generate AI-based shift and OR schedules in hospitals, to make personnel planning fairer and more efficient through a multidimensional approach, to flexibly consider employee wishes in planning and to utilize resources more efficiently.

2026

• Schneider D., Wagner, L., Rueckert, D., Wilhelm. “Attachment Anchors: A Novel Framework for Laparoscopic Grasping Point Prediction in Colorectal Surgery”.  In: arXiv preprint (2026), https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2602.17310

2025

• Geiger, A., Wagner, L., Rueckert, D., Wilhelm, D., and Jell, A. “A deep learning-based approach to enhance accuracy and feasibility of long-term high-resolution manometry examinations”. In: Communications Medicine 5.1 (Dec. 2, 2025), p. 513. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01255-1 
   
• Geiger, A., Wagner, L., Rueckert, D., Wilhelm, D., and Jell, A. “On the notion of missingness for path attribution explainability methods in medical settings: Guiding the selection of medically meaningful baselines”. In: arXiv preprint (2025), https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.14482
   
• Stabenow, S., Wagner, L., Knoll, A., Bengler, K., and Wilhelm, D. “Action recognition in medical environments for robotic assistance”. In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2025), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-025-03551-6
   
• Jurosch, F., Zeller, J., Wagner, L., Özsoy, E., Jell, A., Kolb, S., and Wilhelm, D. “Video-based multi-target multi-camera tracking for postoperative phase recognition”. In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2025), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-025-03344-x

2024

• Scheppach, C., Wagner, L., Spinner, C., Jell, A., and Wilhelm, D. “Innovating Instrument Handover Techniques for Robotic Scrub Nurses”. In: Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 10.2 (2024), pp. 5–9. https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2024-1052
   
• Wagner, L., Jourdan, S., Mayer, L., Müller, C., Bernhard, L., Kolb, S., Harb, F., Jell, A., Berlet, M., Feussner, H., et al. “Robotic scrub nurse to anticipate surgical instruments based on real-time laparoscopic video analysis”. In: Communications Medicine 4.1 (Aug. 2, 2024), p. 156. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-024-00581-0
   
• Jurosch, F., Wagner, L., Jell, A., Islertas, E., Wilhelm, D., Berlet, Max. "Extra-abdominal trocar and instrument detection for enhanced surgical workflow understanding". In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-024-03220-0
   
• Wagner, L., Schneider, D. N., Mayer, L., Jell, A., Müller, C., Lenz, A., Knoll, A., and Wilhelm, D. "Towards multimodal graph neural networks for surgical instrument anticipation". In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-024-03226-8
   
• Berlet, M., Jell, A., Wagner, L., Bernhard, L., Fuchtmann, J., Wegener, L., Feussner, H., Friess, H., and Wilhelm, D. “Model-based individual life-spanning documentation in visceral surgery: a proof of concept”. In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-024-03214-y
   
• Fuchtmann, J., Riedel, T., Berlet, M., Jell, A., Wegener, L., Wagner, L., Graf, S., Wilhelm, D., and Ostler-Mildner, D. “Audio-based event detection in the operating room”. In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (2024), https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-024-03211-1

2023

• Wagner, L., Kolb, S., Leuchtenberger, P., Bernhard, L., Jell, A., and Wilhelm, D. “Deep learning assisted intraoperative instrument cleaning station for robotic scrub nurse systems”. In: at-Automatisierungstechnik 71.7 (2023), pp. 572–579. https://doi.org/10.1515/auto-2023-0062
   
• Wagner, L., Kolb, S., Looschen, C., Bernhard, L., Fuchtmann, J., Berlet, M., Fottner, J., Knoll, A., and Wilhelm, D. “Versatile end effector for laparoscopic robotic scrub nurse”. In: International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery 18.9 (2023), pp. 1589–1600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-023-02892-4

2022

• Wagner, L., Bernhard, L., Fuchtmann, J., Asim Karaoglu, M., Ladikos, A., Feußner, H., and Wilhelm, D. “Integrating 3D cameras into sterile surgical environments: A comparison of different protective materials regarding scan accuracy: Development of a sterile camera enclosure for the detection of laparoscopic instruments”. In: Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering 8.1 (2022), pp. 25–29. https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2022-0007

2026

• Master thesis: Data-Driven Prediction of Surgery Times from Clinical and Operational Features (ongoing)
• Master thesis: Adaptive Surgery Time Prediction Using Preoperative Data and Intraoperative Imaging (ongoing)

2025

• Master thesis: A Non-Invasive Approach to Visualize Esophageal Motility (went on to: Mag-Instruments UG)
• Master thesis: Development of a User Interface for Telemedical Robotic Applications (went on to: EnBW)
• Bachelor thesis: Evaluation of the Surgical Scheduling Process: A Case Study of the Department of Surgery at the TUM University Hospital

2024

• Master thesis: Development of a Robotic End Effector for Decompression of Tension Pneumothorax (went on to: piur imaging GmbH)
• Master thesis: Visualization and explainability of Deep Learning based swallow event detection and classification results (went on to: SAP)
• Master thesis: Postoperative video-based patient tracking using Deep Learning
• Semester work: Development of a sterile end effector for manipulating laparoscopic instrument

2023

• Master thesis: Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks for Multimodal Surgical Workflow Understanding (went on to: Research Group CAMMA)
• Master thesis: Extra-abdominal Trocar and Instrument Detection for Enhanced Surgical Workflow Recognition (went on to: Floy)
• Semester work: Hygienic concept for robotic scrub nurse

2022

• Master thesis: Development of a universal sterile end effector for the manipulation of surgical instruments (went on to: TUM)
• Master thesis: Development of an intelligent transfer strategy for the robotic handover of surgical instruments (went on to: ottobock)
• Master thesis: Machine learning for prediction of laparoscopic instrument changes integrating surgical knowledge (went on to: DKFZ Heidelberg)
• Bachelor thesis: Development of an intelligent intraoperative cleaning station for laparoscopic instruments