Digital twins and medical robots are two rapidly advancing technologies reshaping the future of medicine and healthcare. With the integration of real-time data and advanced AI, medical robots are evolving from precision tools to adaptive, intelligent agents capable of personalizing care like never before.

Digital twins — dynamic, virtual representations of organs, systems, or entire patients — enable robotics systems to simulate, predict, and personalize medical interventions. This synergy not only enhances the accuracy of medical interventions, but it also opens new pathways for training and validating AI and robotic systems reducing animal testing. These virtual models can be used to run in-silico trials, simulate rare conditions, and stress-test robotic behaviors in ways that are ethical, scalable, and replicable.

By bringing together researchers, developers and healthcare professionals, the workshop will:

• Showcase how AI, robotics, and digital twins combine to drive medical innovation.
• Highlight data challenges, including model reliability, real-time sensing, and validation.
• Discuss how these technologies can replace or reduce in-vitro and in-vivo testing.
• Engage with ethical, legal, and societal implications, especially around patient data, model transparency, biases and safety.

This workshop aligns with Denmark’s strong commitments to healthcare innovation, digital health, and responsible AI. It will feature expert talks, practical case studies, and collaborative discussions, offering inspiration and insight across disciplines.

Program

Scientific presentations (45 minutes)
Experts will provide an overview of the field, highlighting key challenges, opportunities, and introducing the various demos on display.

Interactive demonstrations (30 minutes)
Participants will engage hands-on with demos and products brought by the speakers, showcasing Digital Twin technologies for medical robots and the foundational work involved. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore and interact with different demo stations.

Reverse pitches (15 minutes)
Early-career researchers will present their project ideas and share the types of collaborators they are seeking, fostering potential connections and partnerships.

Confirmed speakers/Demos list

Clinical

• DTU – T Kristoffer Mazanti Cold, Ph.D. MD, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation
• Juana Maria Abd-El-Reda, MD, PhD Student, Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation

Industry

• Sune Darkner, PhD, Full Professor at University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science and Co-founder/CTO of Darerl

Technical

• Martina Finocchiaro, PhD Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science
• Júlia Rey Vilches, PhD student, Technical University of Denmark, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering (ELECTRO)

Speakers will bring and present interactive demonstrations of their projects, allowing participants to engage hands-on, explore the technology, and ask questions directly to the presenters.

Workshop outcome

Participants will:

• Gain understanding of digital twins in healthcare and their integration with robotics.
• Learn about the use of digital twins as ethical and replicable test environments for AI and robotic systems.
• Engage in dialogue on technical challenges and ethical considerations.
• Have an hands-on experience with digital twin technology
• Leave with ideas and potential collaborators for new research or innovation projects at the intersection of robotics, AI, and digital health.

Level

Intermediate. This workshop is best suited for attendees with a basic understanding of AI, data science, or healthcare technology. Prior experience with robotics or digital health is helpful but not required.

Target audience and size

The session is designed to be accessible yet thought-provoking, making it valuable for researchers, technologists, clinicians, and digital innovation professionals. We aim for 25-30 participants.

Organizers

• Martina Finocchiaro, Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science, martina.finocchiaro@di.ku.dk
• Hang Yin, Assistant Professor in Computer Graphics at University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science hayi@di.ku.dk
• Kenny Erleben, Full professor in Computer Graphics at University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science, kenny@di.ku.dk
• Zhuoqi Cheng, Assistant Professor, University of Southern Denmark, SDU Robotics, zch@mmmi.sdu.dk