Nov 18, 2010 
The goal is to demonstrate that an Adept Viper 6-axis robot will ensure perfect positioning of a treatment probe in a tumor for both percutaneous and laparoscopic surgical approaches.
Currently, early diagnosis of smaller tumors is made possible through screening biological tests and medical imaging. The CLARA project introduces a new concept where Adept robots will be employed to automatically locate a treatment probe close to a tumor using an innovative three-dimensional navigation robot that is guided by a tracking sensor implanted in the body. The goal is to demonstrate that an Adept Viper 6-axis robot will ensure perfect positioning of a treatment probe in a tumor for both percutaneous and laparoscopic surgical approaches.
The success of this project relies on a well experienced surgical and radiological academic team from Universite Lyon 1 (UCBL), whose research is oriented on focal therapies with strong experience in engineering and experimental surgery, and on Adept Technology, with over twenty-five years of robotics and application expertise.
"We believe that the instrument designed will have a strong impact on both therapeutic and economic ground," said Professor Marc Colombel, Head of Surgical Robotics Developments at Lyon Civil Hospitals and Professor at Universite Lyon 1.
"We are very excited to be an active participant in developing technology that supports advanced methods for treating cancerous tumors," said Rush LaSelle, director of worldwide sales and marketing for Adept Technology, Inc. "This opportunity allows Adept to accelerate the development and deployment of safer and more collaborative robotic technologies, further enabling mechatronics to assist the medical community in improving people's lives."
Created in 2003 by the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), the Lyon Auvergne Rhone-Alpes Cancer cluster (CLARA) aims to develop research in oncology in Rhone-Alpes and Auvergne by associating academic, clinical and industrial strengths in order to develop a regional, national and international strategy in the fight against Cancer. CLARA contributes to the implementation of partnerships between industrials and academic and clinical research laboratories to foster technological transfers for the benefit of patients. CLARA's ambition is to position the Rhone-Alpes Auvergne region as a European reference area in the fight against Cancer. CLARA set up a support program for "Proof of Concept" projects to develop partnerships between academic, clinical and industrial partners within the Rhone-Alpes Auvergne area, supporting innovative, high-potential projects resulting in a Proof of Concept and a transfer. 25 projects have been launched in five years, corresponding to a total budget of €32M, including €23M granted by 18 industrial partners, and six Proof of Concept established to date, including a mini-robot for endoscopic assistance in commercialized in Europe and in the U.S.A.
The "Lyon Civil Hospitals" are a public organization and the 2nd biggest Hospital and University Center in France with more than 22 000 employees using the most advanced equipment. They include 15 facilities addressing all medical therapies and conduct more than 300 clinical tests per year.
The University Lyon 1 (with a total floor area of 443,000 m2) is situated on 14 different sites. The University largely contributes to the development of this region through its partnerships with local and national companies and the regional authorities. Lyon 1 employs 2630 teacher/researchers and teachers, of which 700 are also hospital practitioners as well as a technical and administrative staff of 2000. Lyon 1 became an autonomous establishment on 1st January 2009 and with a total budget of €393M. Lyon 1 is one of the biggest employers of the region.
The University Lyon 1 attains excellence in the fields of higher education and research. The high level of tuition, in a wide variety of subjects ranging from the health sciences to science, technology and sport studies, means that Lyon 1 can count itself among the best of the French universities.
Lyon 1's student population is of nearly 36000 and is also proud to count a large proportion of foreign students (12%of its students, of 125 nationalities). Nearly 80% of students opt for vocational programs: Lyon 1 produces no less than 9250 graduates per year.
Adept is a global, leading provider of intelligent robots and autonomous mobile solutions and services that enable customers to achieve precision, speed, quality and productivity in their assembly, handling, packaging, testing, and logistical processes. With a comprehensive portfolio of high-performance motion controllers, application development software, vision-guidance technology and high-reliability robot mechanisms with autonomous capabilities, Adept provides specialized, cost-effective robotics systems and services to high-growth markets including Packaging, Medical, Disk Drive/Electronics, and Solar; as well as to traditional industrial markets including machine tool automation and automotive components. More information is available at http://www.adept.com
