Obuda University, Stanford University and the National University of Singapore launched a 3-year-long joint research and innovation project, focusing on translational research activities and breakthroughs in medical and laboratory robotics.

Obuda University (OU – Budapest, Hungary https://uni-obuda.hu/en/) has embarked on a pioneering initiative in collaboration with Stanford University (CA, USA https://src.stanford.edu/) and the National University of Singapore (NUS – Singapore https://arc.nus.edu.sg/), dubbed the MedLaBotX Project. The consortium has launched an advanced medical and laboratory technology project, based on collaborative robot and digital twin technologies, with Prof. Peter Galambos (OU) as principal Investigator. MedLaBotX is part of the Hungarian HU-rizont program, aimed to strengthen the Hungarian innovation capacities, said Prof. Levente Kovács, Rector of OU. He added that the Hungarian university serves as the consortium leader and institutional center of the project.

With support from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), OU has officially launched its HU-rizont program on a kick-off meeting in Singapore end of March, focusing on semi-autonomous medical robotics and collaborative laboratory automation, in collaboration with the NUS Advanced Robotics Center (ARC) and the Stanford Robotics Laboratory. Prof. Marcelo H. Ang Jr., the Founding Director of ARC and host of the meeting emphasized the unique potential of the project, noting that “MedLaBotX brings together three continents, offering a rare opportunity to tackle complex medical and technological challenges through a global lens.”

Over the course of three years, the consortium will develop state-of-the-art robotic algorithms to introduce radically new concepts and unexplored research directions in task-autonomous surgical robotics and translational laboratory automation. “The fact that the leading scientists of two global TOP-15 universities accepted our invitation for this program is a testimony of OU’s international recognition and by itself a joyful achievement,” emphasized Prof. Kovács.

Robots are becoming capable of implementing increasingly complex tasks, and artificial intelligence methods can significantly accelerate research. However, despite the efficiency of introducing AI in digital tasks, significant limitations remain in applying it to physical interactions requiring fine motor skills. The MedLaBotX project aims to bridge this gap by developing new research methods in deep neural computing and realistic multimodal simulation environments, known as digital twins.

All three universities are contributing significant resources and research infrastructure to the implementation and operation of the project. This commitment is underscored by the involvement of top researchers and lab directors. The primary beneficiary of the project is expected to be the Bejczy Antal Center for Intelligent Robotics at OU (https://irob.uni-obuda.hu/en/main/), as the initiative aims to establish an internationally recognized center of excellence in medical and laboratory robotics and embodied artificial intelligence, highlighted Prof. Kovács. Meanwhile, “This partnership builds on years of mutual trust and academic collaboration, dating back to my long-standing friendship with Prof. Imre Rudas (the founder rector of Óbuda University), whose presence and insights at the kick-off event reminded us of the deep roots of this cooperation,” added Prof. Khatib.

The core team on the MedLaBotX project. In the sitting row, left-to-right: Profs. Galambos Peter (Obuda University, PI), Levente Kovacs (OU), Oussama Khatib (Stanford), Marcelo H. Ang Jr. (NUS) and Tamas Haidegger (OU).