ATLAS · Project

Robotic Systems That Guide Surgical Instruments Through the Body Autonomously

healthPrototypeTRL 4

Imagine threading a thin cable through a narrow, twisting pipe you can barely see into — that's what surgeons do every day with catheters and scopes inside the human body. It's exhausting, risky, and even experienced doctors sometimes damage tissue. ATLAS trained a generation of researchers to build robots that can steer these flexible instruments on their own, sensing the soft walls around them and adjusting in real time. They built working demonstrators for three procedures: vascular catheter navigation, colonoscopy, and kidney stone surgery.

By the numbers

Autonomous surgical system demonstrators built (catheter, colonoscope, ureteroscope)

Consortium partners across Europe

Countries represented in the consortium

Industry partners involved in the research

SMEs participating in the consortium

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Surgeons performing intraluminal procedures — threading catheters, colonoscopes, and ureteroscopes through narrow, fragile body passages — face poor visibility, unpredictable instrument behavior, and constant risk of tissue damage. The learning curve is steep, even experienced surgeons lack confidence in their gestures, and complications like internal bleeding or rupture remain a persistent threat. There is no reliable way to automate the navigation of flexible instruments through deformable anatomy that changes shape during the procedure itself.

The solution

What was built

The project built 3 autonomous surgical system demonstrators: an autonomous catheter for vascular navigation, an autonomous colonoscope, and an autonomous ureteroscope. Additionally, they developed surgical episode segmentation techniques for identifying procedure phases and demonstrated exteroceptive sensing skills for soft robots — enabling flexible instruments to sense and respond to their surroundings in real time.

Audience

Who needs this

Medical device companies making endoscopes, catheters, or guidewiresSurgical robotics companies expanding into flexible instrument proceduresHospital systems investing in surgical safety and training technologySimulation and training companies building surgical practice platformsVenture capital firms scouting medtech investments in autonomous surgery

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Medical device manufacturing

enterprise

Target: Companies that make endoscopes, catheters, or surgical navigation systems

If you are a medical device manufacturer dealing with the limits of manual instrument control — this project developed 3 autonomous demonstrators (catheter, colonoscope, ureteroscope) with distributed sensing and real-time 3D reconstruction. The consortium of 21 partners across 7 countries validated the core robotics across multiple surgical procedures, giving you a technology base to integrate into next-generation products.

Surgical robotics

mid-size

Target: Robotics companies building assistive or autonomous surgical platforms

If you are a surgical robotics company struggling to extend your platform into flexible instrument procedures — this project created a unified control approach that works across vascular catheters, colonoscopes, and ureteroscopes. Instead of building separate solutions for each procedure, the ATLAS results let you generalize across intraluminal therapies using shared sensing and navigation modules developed with 7 industry partners.

Hospital systems and surgical training

enterprise

Target: Hospital groups or simulation companies investing in surgical training and safety

If you are a hospital network concerned about steep learning curves and complication risks during intraluminal procedures — this project demonstrated autonomous navigation that reduces the mental load on surgeons. The 6 demonstration deliverables include surgical episode segmentation techniques that could also power training simulators, helping new surgeons practice with real-time feedback before touching patients.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

ATLAS was funded as an MSCA-ITN training network, so there is no single commercial product with a price tag. Licensing would need to be negotiated with individual consortium members — primarily KU Leuven as coordinator and the 7 industry partners involved. Costs would depend on which specific demonstrator or IP module you need.

Can this scale to industrial production of surgical robots?

The project produced 3 working demonstrators (autonomous catheter, colonoscope, and ureteroscope), but these are research-grade prototypes, not production-ready devices. Scaling to manufacturing would require further engineering, biocompatibility validation, and regulatory clearance — likely several years of additional development with an industrial partner.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP from MSCA-ITN projects is typically owned by the employing institution of each researcher. With 21 partners across 7 countries, IP is distributed. KU Leuven as coordinator can direct you to the right partner for specific technologies like the sensing, control, or 3D reconstruction modules.

What regulatory approvals would be needed?

Any autonomous surgical device requires CE marking (MDR Class IIb or III) in Europe and FDA clearance in the US. Based on available project data, the demonstrators have not yet entered clinical trials or regulatory submission — these would be necessary next steps before any commercial deployment.

How long before this could be used in real surgeries?

The project ran from 2019 to 2023 and produced lab demonstrators. Based on available project data, moving from demonstrator to clinical use typically requires 3-5 additional years for preclinical validation, clinical trials, and regulatory approval. The 7 industry partners in the consortium suggest there is commercial interest in continuing development.

Can this integrate with existing surgical robot platforms?

The ATLAS approach was specifically designed to be generalizable across different intraluminal procedures — vascular, colonoscopy, and ureteroscopy. The sensing, 3D reconstruction, and autonomous control modules were built as a unified system, which suggests integration potential. However, adapting to a specific commercial platform would require engineering effort with the relevant consortium partner.

Is there clinical evidence this works?

The project produced demonstrators and demonstrations of exteroceptive sensing skills, but as a training network its primary output was trained researchers and proof-of-concept systems. Based on available project data, clinical validation would be the next phase beyond the project scope.

Consortium

Who built it

The ATLAS consortium is unusually large for a training network at 21 partners across 7 countries (Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, UK). With 33% industry participation — 7 industry partners including 5 SMEs — there is genuine commercial interest behind the research. The 9 universities and 4 research organizations provide deep academic muscle, while the industrial partners signal that this technology has a path beyond the lab. KU Leuven coordinates from Belgium, a strong hub for medical robotics. The mix of large medical device territory (Netherlands, France, Italy) and specialized robotics SMEs suggests the consortium was built with eventual commercialization in mind.

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENCoordinator · BE
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUEpartner · FR
CAMELOT BIOMEDICAL SYSTEMS SRLpartner · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI VERONAparticipant · IT
ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI ONCOLOGIA SRLpartner · IT
IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEpartner · UK
INSTITUT DE RECHERCHE CONTRE LES CANCERS DE L'APPAREIL DIGESTIFpartner · FR
FBGS INTERNATIONALpartner · BE
UNIVERSITE DE STRASBOURGparticipant · FR
SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNAparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITA DI PISApartner · IT
FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIApartner · IT
UNIVERSITAT POLITECNICA DE CATALUNYAparticipant · ES
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
FUNDACIO HOSPITAL UNIVERSITARI VALL D'HEBRON - INSTITUT DE RECERCApartner · ES
OROBIX SRLpartner · IT
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT DELFTparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

KU Leuven, Belgium — Department of Mechanical Engineering, robotics and automation group. Reachable through the university's technology transfer office (LRD).

Order a report on this consortium See KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how autonomous intraluminal surgery technology could fit your product roadmap? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the right ATLAS consortium partner for your specific application — catheter navigation, colonoscopy automation, or ureteroscopy robotics.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical