AI-powered robot to strengthen diagnostics in the uterine cavity

80 per cent end up as normal findings

The Department of Gynaecology at Odense University Hospital (OUH) currently uses many resources on examinations where the conclusion is that there are no signs of findings requiring treatment. It's a condition of diagnostics that you have to examine thoroughly to rule out disease, but this means that doctors and nurses spend time on examinations that end with the conclusion that disease can be ruled out and there is no need for treatment.

– We spend a lot of time doing scans and examinations of what turns out to be normal conditions. That's almost 80 per cent of what we do, says Professor Martin Rudnicki.

This clinical approach is part of the background to EndometriosisRobot – EndoMedBot, which has received DKK 150,000 from MedTech Odense's IDEA pool. The project is developing a technology base that, with an AI-powered robot, can improve current diagnostic methods for diseases of the uterine cavity. The project is anchored in the Department of Gynaecology at OUH in collaboration with SDU Robotics.

From bronchoscopy to gynaecology

When Martin Rudnicki explains the idea behind EndoMedBot, he points to an approach already familiar from other scopy examinations. The point is not to compare bodies, but to use the same basic idea: Navigation in a cavity and AI-supported recognition of changes.

– In bronchoscopy, it's often difficult to know exactly where you are in the airways. Here, a robot and AI can help you orientate yourself while identifying lesions with reasonable certainty.

Applied to gynaecology, the ambition is to let a robot bring in a very thin camera and support the initial assessment with artificial intelligence.

– The robot can bring the camera up; it is quite thin and can be directed. The robot has a lexicon for anomalies and can make a diagnosis, he explains.

The point here is that the technology should function as a decision-making tool. It should not replace clinical judgement but make the initial assessment more uniform and less dependent on the individual doctor's experience.

More standardisation and consistency

Today, judgements in scoping and imaging can vary. Not because the quality is low, but because experience and routine play a big role.

– It depends on the doctor's experience. With this approach, we can get much more uniformity and much more standardised treatment, says Martin Rudnicki.

If an AI-based solution can indicate that findings are normal or that something deviates from the norm, the clinic can target further investigation and spend time and expertise where it is most needed.

– If the robot can assist and make the diagnosis with a very high degree of certainty, it would be a huge help. We could then free up some of the resources we use today for something else.

What does it mean for endometriosis

Endometriosis is often boarded when people talk about diagnosing pain and other symptoms from the abdomen. At the same time, EndoMedBot is aimed at diagnostics in the uterine cavity, where several conditions can cause similar symptoms and where the ambition is to strengthen the initial assessment.

– Endometriosis is also found in the uterine cavity – it's not really what the robot is intended for, but it's part of it, he says.

Collaboration with SDU Robotics

EndoMedBot is a collaboration between clinical practice at OUH and technological development at SDU Robotics, where roles and tasks will be clarified in the early phase.

– SDU will be responsible for the development of the robot, and we will be responsible for or involved in the AI part, says Martin Rudnicki, pointing out that the project must now be concretised in tasks, data and responsibilities.

He also emphasises the benefits of collaboration.

– I think it's very positive that we have established a collaboration with SDU Robotics. It wasn't a collaboration we expected beforehand, but it has been very rewarding.

What can you achieve with DKK 150,000

The grant is not large in the classical research sense, but it can be crucial as seed money to get the idea, plan and collaboration in place.

– We'll see how far we can get with DKK 150,000, but there's no doubt that there are perspectives, I'm sure of that, says Martin Rudnicki.

Initially, it's about getting a realistic budget, identifying development areas and planning the first steps so that the project can move from idea to a clearer technological and clinical clarification.

Facts about MedTech Odense

• MedTech Odense unites research and technology with clinical needs and companies. The goal is to bring health technology solutions to patients faster.
• MedTech Odense is a partnership between the University of Southern Denmark, the Region of Southern Denmark, Odense University Hospital and the region's other hospitals as well as Odense Municipality established in October 2024.
• In both 2025 and 2026, DKK 20 million has been earmarked to strengthen the medtech area from the owners, the Region of Southern Denmark and the University of Southern Denmark.