Overview Research Education Projects Contact
Welcome! I am Vincent Groenhuis and assistant professor at the group of Robotics and Mechatronics, University of Twente. I completed my BSc in Computer Science (with 2nd propedeuse in Applied Physics), my MSc in Embedded Systems and my PhD in medical robotics, all cum laude and at University of Twente.
I also give four courses. In 2025-2026: Q1: Modeling & Control (module M5A Smart Technology, for 2nd year CreaTe). Q2: Model-based Control for Robotics (module CPS, for Computer Science). Q3: Introduction to Physical Systems (module M3, for 1st year CreaTe). Q4: Embedded Systems Laboratory (MSc course ESYS).
I also supervise individual students for their BSc, MSc, individual and/or internship projects. Contact me if you are interested in doing a (medical) robotics or pneumatic (stepper) motor-related project with me.
Sunram 5: MRI-guided breast biopsy robot
Three-axis stepper motor
Visit https://www.vincentgroenhuis.nl/wp/home/2022/09/04/vincents-research-videos/ to watch my research videos!
Expertise Medicine and Dentistry Breast Biopsy Magnetic Resonance Imaging Breast Biopsy Lesion Accuracy Nursing and Health Professions Engineering Organisations My research focuses on medical robotics and stepper motor technology. Technological advances could improve diagnosis and treatment of e.g. cancer in the breast of bladder, while innovative pneumatic and electric stepper motors offer new ways of actuating various applications.
Sunram is an MRI-guided robotic system for breast biopsy. Being operated by pneumatic stepper motors it is safe to use inside an MRI scanner. The fifth generation is Sunram 5 (video ), while new prototypes are being developed regularly.
The Next-gen in-vivo project focuses on bladder cancer diagnostics using a robotically-steered instrument with an optical coherence tomography sensor in its tip. In this project I primarily focus on the imaging side
Multi-axis electric stepper motors offer an innovative way of actuating multiple degrees of freedom using a singular stator which drives multiple rotors simultaneously (video ), while sensorless absolute encoder motor technology offer a novel way of measuring the absolute position and torque in stepper motors.
Several pneumatic stepper motor designs are open source. See https://www.vincentgroenhuis.nl/wp/home/2019/10/11/stepper-motor-overview/ for an overview of the different variants of which many are directly downloadable. Contact me (v.groenhuis@utwente.nl ) for the non-published designs, and any other questions.
Visit https://www.vincentgroenhuis.nl/wp/home/2022/09/04/vincents-research-videos/ for a list of my research videos!
Publications Jump to: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021
Technical Approach for Infrared Tracking for Soft Tissue Navigation with a Holographic Head-Mounted Display and Preclinical Validation (2025) Journal of visualized experiments, 2025 (223). Article e68607. de Groot, N. T., van der Zee, J. M., van Boheemen, V. J., Siepel, F. J., Groenhuis, V. , Hulsker, C. C. C., Wijnen, M. H. W. A., Fitski, M. & van der Steeg, A. F. W.https://doi.org/10.3791/68607 Dual-Piston Hoop Gear Driven MR Safe Pneumatic Stepper Motor (2025) In European Robotics Forum 2025: Boosting the Synergies between Robotics and AI for a Stronger Europe (pp. 121-127) (Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics; Vol. 36 SPAR). Springer (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Groenhuis, V. & Stramigioli, S. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-89471-8_19 Evaluation of a novel forward-looking optical coherence tomography probe for endoscopic applications: an ex vivo feasibility study (2024) Surgical endoscopy, 38 (12), 7677-7686. Article 570629. Jacobs, F. J. C., Groenhuis, V. , de Jong, I. M., Nagtegaal, I. D., Rovers, M. M., Bulte, G. J. & Fütterer, J. J.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-024-11353-1 Augmented-Reality Based Digital Twin to Control an MR Safe Robot for Breast Biopsy: A Benchmark Study (2024) In 2024 10th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2024 (pp. 814-819) (Proceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics; Vol. 2024). IEEE. Marx, L., Groenhuis, V. , Stramigioli, S. & Niu, K. https://doi.org/10.1109/BioRob60516.2024.10719969 Computational Design Optimization of Concentric Tube Robots for Patient-Specific Volumes and End Effector Tasks (2024) In 2024 10th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, BioRob 2024 (pp. 740-746) (Proceedings of the IEEE RAS and EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics). IEEE. De Groot, A. G., Welleweerd, M. K., Cornel, E. B., Groenhuis, V. , Stramigioli, S. & Siepel, F. J. https://doi.org/10.1109/BioRob60516.2024.10719890 Controlling an MR Safe Robot Arm with Six Pneumatic Stepper Motors using Eight Tubes (2024) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] ICRA @ 40 special conference 2024 . Groenhuis, V. , Bac, M., Stramigioli, S. & Niu, K. Sunram 7: An MR Safe Robotic System for Breast Biopsy (2023) In 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (pp. 10281-10288). Article 10342425. IEEE. Ranjan, H., Hilten, M. V., Groenhuis, V. , Verde, J., Garcia, A., Perretta, S., Veltman, J., Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S. https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10342425 3-D and 2-D Reconstruction of Bladders for the Assessment of Inter-Session Detection of Tissue Changes: A Proof of Concept (2023) International journal of computer assisted radiology and surgery, 18 , 1915-1924. Groenhuis, V. , de Groot, A. G., Cornel, E. B., Stramigioli, S. & Siepel, F. J.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-023-02900-7 Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy using an adapted automated cone-based ultrasound scanner: a feasibility study (2023) Medical physics, 50 (6), 3475-3489. Nikolaev, A. V., de Jong, L., Zamecnik, P., Groenhuis, V. , Siepel, F. J., Stramigioli, S., Hansen, H. H. G. & de Korte, C. L.https://doi.org/10.1002/mp.16323 3-D Visualization and Inter-Session Comparison for Robotic Assisted Bladder Cancer Screening (2023) [Contribution to conference › Abstract] Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, HSMR 2023 (Accepted/In press). Groenhuis, V. , de Groot, A. G., Cornel, E. B., Stramigioli, S. & Siepel, F. J. Electric Motor (2021) [Patent › Patent]. Groenhuis, V. Out-of-Plane Corrections for Autonomous Robotic Breast Ultrasound Acquisitions (2021) In 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2021 (pp. 12515-12521) (Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation; Vol. 2021). IEEE. Welleweerd, M. K., de Groot, A. G., Groenhuis, V. , Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9560865 Multi-Axis Electric Stepper Motor (2021) IEEE Robotics and automation letters, 6 (4), 7201-7208. Article 9484841. Groenhuis, V. , Rolff, G., Bosman, K., Abelmann, L. & Stramigioli, S.https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2021.3097077 Magnetic Resonance Pneumatic Stepper Motor With Multiple Concentric Shafts Output (2021) IEEE/ASME transactions on mechatronics, 27 (4), 2379. Groenhuis, V. , Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S.https://doi.org/10.1109/TMECH.2021.3102024 Use of 3D printed connectors to redesign full face snorkeling masks in the COVID-19 era: a preliminary technical case-study (2021) Annals of 3D Printed Medicine , 1-11. Profili, J., Brunet, R., Dubois, É. L., Groenhuis, V. & Hof, L. A.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stlm.2021.100023 Image-guided Breast Biopsy of MRI-visible Lesions with a Hand-mounted Motorised Needle Steering Tool (2021) [Working paper › Preprint]. Lagomarsino, M., Groenhuis, V. , Casadio, M., Welleweerd, M. K., Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S. Quantitative Evaluation of an Automated Cone-based Breast Ultrasound Scanner for MRI - 3D US Image Fusion (2021) IEEE transactions on medical imaging, 40 (4), 1229-1239. Article 9319185. Nikolaev, A. V., de Jong, L., Weijers, G., Groenhuis, V. , Mann, R. M., Siepel, F. J., Maris, B. M., Stramigioli, S., Hansen, H. H. G. & de Korte, C. L.https://doi.org/10.1109/TMI.2021.3050525 Needle and Biopsy Robots: a Review (2021) Current Robotics Reports . Siepel, F. J., Maris, B. M., Welleweerd, M. K., Groenhuis, V. , Fiorini, P. & Stramigioli, S.https://doi.org/10.1007/s43154-020-00042-1 3-D Ultrasound Elastography Reconstruction Using Acoustically Transparent Pressure Sensor on Robotic Arm (2021) IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 3 (1), 265-268. Article 9286770. Groenhuis, V. , Nikolaev, A., Nies, S., Welleweerd, M. K., de Jong, L., Hansen, H. H. G., Siepel, F. J., de Korte, C. L. & Stramigioli, S.https://doi.org/10.1109/TMRB.2020.3042982 Automated Cone-Based Breast Ultrasound Scanner For Screening And Biopsy (2021) In Proceedings of the 8th Dutch Bio-Medical Engineering Conference . Nikolaev, A., de Jong, L., Weijers, G. G. C., Groenhuis, V. , Siepel, F. J., Stramigioli, S., Hansen, H. H. G. & de Korte, C. L. Design of 3D Printed Needle Insertion Device and Control Using Mobile Phone Application (2021) In Proceedings of the 8th Dutch Bio-Medical Engineering Conference 2021 . BME. Bluiminck, M., Groenhuis, V. , Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S. Robotic transfer of a preoperative plan for open reconstructive craniosynostosis surgery: A pilot study (2021) In Proceedings of the 8th Dutch Bio-Medical Engineering Conference 2021 . BME. Pilon, A. J. M., van der Woude, R., Venix, L. P. J., Koot, E., Groenhuis, V. , Verhamme, L. M. & Meulstee, J. W. Image-guided Breast Biopsy of MRI-visible Lesions with a Hand-mounted Motorised Needle Steering Tool (2021) In 2021 International Symposium on Medical Robotics, ISMR 2021 . IEEE. Lagomarsino, M., Groenhuis, V. , Casadio, M., Welleweerd, M. K., Siepel, F. J. & Stramigioli, S. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMR48346.2021.9661564 Research profiles 2025-2026:
I also regularly supervise BSc/MSc/internship/project students. Mostly individually, but small groups are also possible.
Some available BSc/MSc assignments are listed on https://www.ram.eemcs.utwente.nl/education/assignments , but you can also propose an interesting idea (robotics, imaging or stepper motor related) yourself and contact me to discuss the possibilities.
Courses academic year 2025/2026 Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.
Courses academic year 2024/2025 
Scan the QR code or