Thesis

From research to the operating theatre: market potential analysis of a newly developed scanner for laser surgery

Research is currently investigating various approaches to utilize laser technology in minimally invasive surgery, especially in awake craniotomy and spine surgery. Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) has been developing hand-guided applicators for hard tissue ablation integrating focusing optics, OCT-Beam, camera system, as well as compact scanning technology. The integrated scanning device is ILTs own patented invention which is capable of precisely and quickly steering the laser beam over the operation area. The ILT-Scanner, compared to state-of-the-art scanners, is compact enough to be implemented in hand-guided devices without sacrificing precision and speed. A scanner prototype was set up in the laboratory and is currently in the characterization phase.
Fraunhofer ILT is engaged in intense research about possible fields of application for the newly developed scanner. So far, the fields of laser marking, additive manufacturing, micromachining, and laser cleaning seem to be promising applications.

Your Tasks:
• Summary and evaluation of existing literature and market studies
• Further literature research
• Identification of application barriers and substitutes
• Graphical processing of relevant data on markets, fields of application, regions, players, etc.
• Preparation and execution of interviews with industry partners

Supervision:
Your thesis will be jointly supervised by Lazar Bochvarov (Fraunhofer ILT) and Dr. Christina Dienhart (Institute for Technology and Innovation Management (TIM), RWTH). ILT will provide you with all the technical information you need for your work. The TIM Institute supports you in conducting market studies, interviews, and a holistic economic analysis to identify the application potential of the scanner. Your thesis will be registered at Faculty 8 (Economics).