Project description
Real-time surgical simulation
Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical systems. They are transforming engineering and medicine by enabling real-time simulation and prediction. However, accurately modelling how flexible structures bend, flex, and interact with their surroundings under realistic conditions is challenging, particularly when speed is critical. This limitation affects applications ranging from surgical robotics to offshore wind energy infrastructure. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RT_NSContactFMD project develops a computational framework that achieves both physical accuracy and real-time performance simultaneously. The approach will be demonstrated in two contrasting settings: navigating a surgical wire through blood vessels and simulating mooring cables on the seabed. Ultimately, the approach will be released as open-source software for broad academic and industrial use.
Objective
RT_NSContactFMD (Real-Time Non-smooth Contact for Flexible Multibody Dynamics from Surgery to Offshore applications) addresses a core bottleneck in digital twin simulation: reconciling continuum-level fidelity with real-time performance under non-smooth, frictional contact. Existing approaches trade physical accuracy for speed or break down under contact-rich scenarios, limiting their applicability in fields like surgical robotics and offshore engineering.
This project introduces a structure-preserving computational framework that unifies high-fidelity ANCF beam models, penalty-free non-smooth contact laws, and Anderson-accelerated, Jacobian-free solvers into an open-source Chrono module. It targets four objectives: (O1) develop constraint-aware, tapered 3D beam elements; (O2) enforce stable, frictional contact without penalty tuning; (O3) achieve sub-10 ms steps via solver acceleration and selective model reduction; and (O4) validate cross-domain demonstrators: guidewire–artery navigation and mooring line–seabed contact.
Outcomes will deliver the first real-time framework that combines geometric fidelity, non-smooth contact robustness, and computational efficiency within a unified, reproducible architecture. Results will be openly disseminated via CI-tested benchmarks, a BSD-licensed Chrono release, and a SOFA interface for surgical validation. The work advances Horizon Europe priorities in Digital Health and Offshore Renewables, and lays the groundwork for next-generation control-integrated digital twins.
The fellow will gain interdisciplinary expertise across computational mechanics, simulation, and biomedical engineering, with targeted training via secondments at Chrono (UNIPR) and SOFA (Inria), supporting long-term development as an independent researcher.
By promoting open tools and ecosystem interoperability, the project fosters long-term impact across academic, clinical, and industrial communities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine surgery
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
- social sciences law
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
SW7 2AZ London
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.