Worcester Polytechnic Institute's Rachel LeBlanc: 'We See Huge Opportunities For Partners In Healthcare And Robotics'

At Robotica 2017, Rachel LeBlanc, Assistant Vice President for Academic and Corporate Engagement at Worcester Polytechnic Institute spoke with CRNtv about their newly launched Practice Point Center. “The center was funded by the state of Massachusetts, and the goal is really to help bring universities, entrepreneurs, and big companies in the medical device space into the space of cyber-physical systems,” said LeBlanc. Their efforts are primarily to merge robotics and healthcare in order to create better solutions in healthcare and new opportunities for companies to come in and try their hand at test beds and different forms of high tech that they may not have otherwise been exposed to. “It allows them the opportunity to really get access to the equipment that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to purchase themselves,” said LeBlanc. In doing this, LeBlanc says that her office at WPI is working hard to bridge the gap between what is happening in the industry and what is happening in academia. “We’re really able to build new opportunities by having this combination.” She touched upon the importance of robotics in the healthcare space with regards to prosthetic limbs. Though technology is still advanced, LeBlanc said that as an industry, we’re not doing enough to take advantage of the types of customizable tools out there, such as 3D printing for medical purposes. “In the future, we should be building prosthesis that are tailored to the flow and build of one’s body,” said LeBlanc. Opportunity is huge at this point for suppliers and partners to get their hands into the growing space of robotics, AI, and IoT. “They are going to benefit big-time when it comes to efficiency. Not only can they do things more quickly, but companies can begin manufacturing right here within the United States without having to outsource the products.” LeBlanc explained that because of automation and the efficiency-factor, solution providers have a lower gap to fill when it comes to transportation. “Their point-to-point is much lower, they can get things faster, and ultimately become more competitive in the space.”