Background and Research Interest

Rubén Martín Rodríguez is a PhD candidate within the MIRACLE project in a collaboration between the Swiss MAM Research Group and the Bio-Inspired RObots for MEDicine-Laboratory (BIROMED-Lab) at the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Basel.

With a background in Electronics and Automation, he obtained his Masters Degree in Robotics at Delft University of Technology, where he gained experience on the development of robotic systems for haptics and rehabilitation. His current research focuses on the development of a robotic platform for in-situ 3D bioprinting of personalized implants through a minimally invasive approach.

Additive manufacturing (commonly 3D printing) techniques allow the creation of personalized implants adapted to patient-specific anatomy and pathology. The objective of the project is to develop a 3D-printing solution capable of manufacturing the implant directly inside the body of the patient (in situ) in a minimally-invasive fashion. In doing so, the placement precision of the implant is enhanced, thus reducing the implant failure. Additionally, the incision size for the intervention is reduced together with damage to surrounding tissue, and the need for additional fixations or screws is prevented.

To achieve such a platform, the project will investigate different 3D bioprinting materials, dispensing systems and (minimally-invasive) robotic designs for the manufacturing of the implant. A large development focus will be placed on addressing the technological challenges to ensure a precise and fail-proof printing under the special considerations that a minimally-invasive approach entails.