Logo of the company EdgeWave, consisting of the company name in a clean and bold design

Current Project: COOLCUT

COOLCUT (Collaborative Laser System with Optical Diagnostics for Life-Threatening Bone Tumors in Structure-Preserving Curative Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) is an interdisciplinary research project focused on the development of a precise, minimally invasive technology for the surgical treatment of tumors in the jaw region.

Symbolische Darstellung der medizinischen Laserchirurgie: Röntgenaufnahme eines Kiefers mit medizinischem Kreuz und kreisförmiger Sensordarstellung für das COOLCUT-Projekt

The Mission

Oral squamous cell carcinomas are among the most common types of cancer worldwide. In advanced cases, the jaw bone is often affected. Since no rapid intraoperative diagnostic method for bone tissue is currently available, large segments of jaw bone are frequently resected to ensure complete tumor removal. However, retrospective studies show that in up to 45% of cases, the jaw bone is in fact not affected by the tumor.

This is where COOLCUT comes in: by combining robot-assisted laser technology with optical real-time diagnostics, it will be possible to precisely identify tumor boundaries during surgery. This approach aims to avoid unnecessary bone resections and enable minimally invasive procedures in cases of limited bone involvement—while preserving healthy bone structures as much as possible and sustainably improving surgical outcomes.

Key Objectives

The goal of COOLCUT is to develop a robotic laser surgery system that: robotischen Laseroperationssystems, das

  • die increases surgical precision,,

  • enables minimally invasive procedures, and und

  • maximizes the preservation of healthy bone structures..

The system combines state-of-the-art sensor technologies with robot-guided laser processing:

  • Robotic applicator for highly precise laser cuts along pre-planned cutting paths

  • OCT-based measurement for real-time monitoring of laser cutting depth

  • LIBS sensor technology for analyzing the chemical composition of ablated tissue to determine tumor distribution at the resection margin

  • Dynamic adaptation of the cutting trajectory based on real-time measurement data

  • Real-time visualization in a VR environment to support the surgical team

Innovation and Outlook

Within the COOLCUT project, a demonstrator system will be developed and deployed in an experimental operating room at RWTH Aachen University Hospital. The acquired measurement and control data are expected to improve intraoperative decision-making and contribute to preserving jaw bone even in cases of minor tumor involvement—ultimately benefiting patients through more precise and less invasive treatments.

Project partners

Fraunhofer-Institut für Lasertechnik ILT (Aachen, Deutschland)

Uniklinik RWTH AAchen

DigitalTwin Technology GmbH (Köln, Deutschland)