Surgeon appointed Professor of Medical Robotics at TUM
Dirk Wilhelm has been appointed Professor of Medical Robotics at TUM since 2026 and conducts research at the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence. Wilhelm's ForNeRo research project equipped an experimental operating room at TUM University Hospital with cameras and sensors to create a digital twin of the surgical environment and analyze how robotic assistants can collaborate with medical personnel. Wilhelm's team tested robotic assistants for holding endoscopes and handing over surgical instruments, finding that "robots could meaningfully support medical personnel with routine tasks without creating additional burdens." The ForNeRo project, funded by the Bavarian Foundation for Transformation and Research with approximately two million euros, involves researchers from TUM, TUM University Hospital, and the German Aerospace Center, running until November 2026.
