IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi Technology Innovation Centers signed a letter of intent on Wednesday to establish India’s first medical cobotics center. I-Hub Foundation for Cobotics (IHFC), the Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) of IIT Delhi and iHub Anubhuti, the TIH of the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIITD) have teamed up to create India’s first Medical Cobotics Center (MCC) on IIIT. to build -Delhi.
The ceremony took place in August in the presence of Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, the former DST secretary as the main guest, and Dr. KR Murali Mohan, Director of Mission of NM-ICPS, DST.
What is a medical cobotics center?
The planned medical cobotics center is to be a technology-based medical simulation and training facility for young resident doctors and at the same time act as a validation center for research results in the field of healthcare robotics and digital health.
The MCC would facilitate the training of other health care professionals, medical personnel, technicians, engineers, and researchers.
Why is this connection between IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi so praiseworthy?
The TIHs are funded by the Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) as part of its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).
IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi have strong engineering expertise and have close ties with researchers and medical professionals from various institutions in India such as AIIMS and others.
The two hubs are dedicated to developing advanced technologies in medical robotics / cobotics, digital health, sensor and computer technologies that are desired in robotic surgery, training and medical procedures.
What do the directors say about the tie-up?
Speaking of cooperation between the two technology innovation centers, Prof. V. Ramgopal Rao, Director of IIT Delhi, said: “In order to develop technologies that benefit society, it is important that researchers from all institutions come together and work in a focused manner.”
“I am delighted that two leading institutions are coming together in Delhi to advance the development of technologies in medical robotics,” he added.
Prof. Ranjan Bose, Director, IIIT Delhi, also confirmed this and said: “We, as one of the leading institutes in the field of information technology, have been moved by the summer time.”
“Cognitive and sensory technologies are essential for next generation robotics, especially for applications in medical and digital healthcare. I am confident that this collaboration in this area will make an impact and move the needle, ”he added.
Important for a medical cobotics center
Prof SK Saha, Project Manager, IHFC, IIT Delhi and Ashutosh Dutt Sharma, CEO, IHFC, IIT Delhi on the origin of the concept of the MCC said: “Although India has several medical simulation centers for the training of resident doctors, there is none devoted to the development of these technologies and their validation.”
“The MCC is expected to promote indigenous development of technology to fulfill our Prime Minister’s dream of making India Atmanirbhar, ”said Saha.
“This will also be a place for various TIHs under the NM-ICPS to showcase their medical-related projects and products with applications, ”he said.
On behalf of iHub Anubhuti, the TIH of IIITD, it is Project leader Prof. Pushpendra Singh and the CEO, Mukesh Malhotra expressed their joy at being able to build this prestigious center on their campus in cooperation with the TIH of the IIT Delhi, ie the IHFC, and expect to develop this joint center further as a Center of Excellence.
Accordingly, MCC will develop strategic partnerships with companies, conduct expert-driven research and also work towards the commercialization of technologies.
Medical training programs are created in consultation with leading doctors
The training programs are developed in consultation with leading doctors / experts, mainly from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, Jodhpur, and other renowned medical schools.
They should be used as guest lecturers to carry out the same. The training programs would be on multiple levels (basic / advanced) and cohort specific, such as urology, neurology, laparoscopy and others, but initially limited to minimally invasive surgery.
It is planned to introduce the first trainees in April / May 2022 with some of the basic training simulators widely available on the open market, while advanced surgical robots will be introduced in the next phase.
The MCC is expected to serve the needs of the Delhi NCR area medical colleges and this activity is also in line with the National Education Policy for Medical Subjects.
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