During laparoscopic surgery, a surgeon’s hands are busy with instruments, making it nearly impossible to physically “point” to features for teaching residents — especially in high-stakes, fast-moving procedures.
A Henry Ford Health minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon partnered with four Michigan State University biomedical engineering Ph.D. students through a capstone project. The result: LaparAssist, a wireless, foot-pedal-activated, head-mounted laser pointer that lets surgeons highlight anatomy hands-free—without disrupting surgical workflow.
Henry Ford provided the clinical environment for both need discovery and technology validation. Henry Ford Innovaitons supported the team with patent filing and licensing, while MSU Research Foundation’s Red Cedar Ventures became the first investor.
The team is refining the prototype with plans to make LaparAssist available to physicians and health care facilities worldwide. LaparAssist also is developing a virtual medical educational platform that would allow medical students to participate in clinical procedures virtually, in real-time, to see what the instructor sees.