LONDON, August 18, 2026
Smith+Nephew and Imperial College London have launched a new five-year partnership to accelerate innovation in robotic surgery for musculoskeletal conditions, bringing together academic researchers, engineers and clinicians to develop advanced medical technologies and translate promising research into patient care more quickly. The new centre, located within Imperial’s Hamlyn Centre, will focus on technologies designed to make robotic surgery less invasive, more intuitive and accessible beyond highly specialized surgical centres.
New Centre Targets Next-Generation Robotic Surgery
The partnership establishes a dedicated university technology centre that brings Smith+Nephew engineers directly alongside researchers from Imperial College London’s robotics programme. The centre will be led by Professor Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena from Imperial’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, whose research focuses on robotics for orthopaedic surgery. At full capacity, the five-year programme is expected to support a senior postdoctoral researcher and up to seven fully funded PhD studentships, with researchers working alongside Smith+Nephew engineers and clinicians. This collaborative structure is intended to create a faster pathway from academic discovery to medical technology development and clinical adoption. Rather than relying primarily on traditional licensing or spinout models, the partnership will enable academic engineers and an established medical technology company to co-develop solutions from the research stage through potential clinical application.
AI and Computer Vision Could Improve Surgical Precision
Research at the centre will focus on technologies that could improve the usability, precision and accessibility of robotic orthopaedic surgery. One major area is markerless registration and tracking, which could reduce the need for pins and rigid markers currently attached to bone during some robotic procedures. By potentially reducing the number of incisions and hardware required, the technology could support less invasive surgical approaches while improving consistency for surgeons. Researchers will also investigate computer vision and real-time anatomical tracking, allowing robotic systems to interpret and respond to changes in patient anatomy during procedures. These capabilities could help make robotic surgery more intuitive and potentially expand access to advanced surgical techniques beyond specialist centres. The research will draw on expertise in robotics, sensing and computer vision to develop new approaches for treating musculoskeletal conditions.
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Industry-Academic Collaboration Accelerates Innovation
The launch represents a significant development in medical technology research and translational innovation, with Smith+Nephew describing the centre as the first university-based centre of this type founded by the company and Imperial’s first industry centre dedicated specifically to medical technology. The partnership combines Imperial’s academic expertise and research infrastructure with Smith+Nephew’s engineering capabilities, clinical knowledge and experience in developing and commercializing medical technologies. The collaboration is expected to support research that can move more rapidly toward operating-room applications and ultimately benefit patients undergoing orthopaedic and other musculoskeletal procedures. The initiative also highlights the growing role of robotics, computer vision and advanced sensing technologies in MedTech, as healthcare companies and academic institutions seek to develop surgical systems that can deliver more precise, less invasive and more consistent procedures. With research progressively expanding throughout the five-year programme, the new centre could contribute to the next generation of robotic surgery technologies while strengthening the connection between university research and real-world medical-device innovation.
Source: Smith+Nephew press relese
