Philips selected for ARPA-H program to advance AI-enabled robotic stroke care

August 26, 2026              

• Philips receives up to US$33.7 million award from ARPA-H to expand access to AI-enabled robotic stroke care, supporting the program's goal of expanding access to specialized interventions
• Philips will collaborate with Johns Hopkins University and Boston University to develop technologies for remote and increasingly automated endovascular procedures
• Building on Philips' leadership in image-guided therapy and the Azurion platform, the work lays the foundation for a future interventional suite that integrates robotics, AI-enabled automation and smart devices into a single clinical workflow

Cambridge, MA, USA and Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced it has received an up to US$33.7 million award under the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)) Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) program, led by Dr. Ileana Hancu, to advance AI-enabled robotic procedure automation for stroke care. Working with Johns Hopkins University, Boston University, and Dr. J Mocco of Weill Cornell Medicine, Philips will develop technologies for remote-assisted and increasingly automated endovascular procedures, helping expand access to advanced stroke care.

Access to timely stroke treatment remains one of healthcare's greatest challenges. In the United States, approximately 335,000 patients each year are eligible for thrombectomy [1], a minimally invasive procedure that, when performed early enough, can reverse the effects of a stroke and prevent long-term disability. Yet only around 12% of eligible patients receive the treatment [1], while more than half of Americans live over an hour from a hospital capable of performing it.[1] Globally, fewer than 3% of eligible patients with large-vessel occlusion receive mechanical thrombectomy, despite stroke remaining the world's second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of death and disability combined.[2][3] Expanding access to these highly specialized procedures requires new approaches that combine imaging, robotics and AI to extend expert care beyond today's stroke centers.

Robotic procedure automation
Philips is advancing robotic procedure automation by integrating imaging, robotics, AI-enabled automation and smart interventional devices on its Azurion image-guided therapy platform. This project will develop technologies for endovascular navigation, robotic device control, image-based procedural guidance, workflow automation and remote intervention. These technologies will be designed to support image-guided procedures while enabling increasing levels of supervised autonomy under expert clinical oversight.

“This ARPA-H program accelerates our long-term vision for image-guided intervention,” said Bert van Meurs, Chief Business Leader Image-Guided Therapy at Philips. “We're helping shape a future where expert care is no longer limited by geography or workforce constraints. The goal is not to replace expertise, but to make expertise scalable and accessible.”

“Strong robotics and AI research has laid the scientific foundation for this effort, building on years of foundational work in image-guided and robotics procedural automation to help expand access to time-critical stroke intervention,” added Betsabeh Madani-Hermann, Head of Research at Philips.

Academic Collaborations
Philips will collaborate with Johns Hopkins University and Boston University as part of the program, combining Philips' expertise in image-guided therapy and workflow automation with leading academic capabilities in robotics, clinical translation and procedure automation. Johns Hopkins University will be responsible for developing autonomous device navigation, led by Axel Krieger, PhD, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering. Boston University will be responsible for developing steerable catheters, co-led by Tommaso Ranzani, PhD, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Materials Science & Engineering (MSE); and Sheila Russo Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering (ME) and Materials Science & Engineering (MSE).

“Robotics has the potential to improve precision and accuracy in endovascular stroke care, while also extending specialist expertise through remote procedures,” said Dr. J Mocco, Chair of Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and an additional clinical collaborator with Philips. “I am excited to work alongside Philips and the academic partners in this program to translate this potential into clinically meaningful innovation, developing technologies that support clinicians and are designed to improve patient outcomes.”

Today, Philips supports clinicians with more than 20,000 image-guided therapy systems installed across more than 80 countries. Every second, somewhere in the world, a patient is treated using a Philips image-guided therapy system. Building on this global foundation, Philips has more than 40 years of experience in shaping and leading public-private partnerships that accelerate healthcare innovation and complement its global R&D programs. The ARPA-H AIR program represents the next step in that commitment, advancing Philips' vision to help make expert endovascular care available to more patients through innovative image-guided therapies.

Read more

• The future of stroke intervention: Neurosurgeon Dr. J Mocco on the promise of robotics and AI
  Dr. J Mocco shares a clinician’s perspective on the challenges facing stroke care today and how robotics and AI could help bring life-saving interventions to more patients.
  
  
• Beyond Robotics: The Next Evolution of Image-Guided Therapy
  Dr. Atul Gupta explores why robotics is only one part of a much broader transformation – bringing together imaging, AI, intelligent workflows and robotics to extend the reach of clinical expertise.

The technologies described are under development. Future clinical use or commercial availability will be subject to applicable regulatory requirements.


[1] ARPA-H. Autonomous Interventions and Robotics (AIR) Program. Available at: https://arpa-h.gov/explore-funding/programs/air
[2] Asif KS, Otite FO, Desai SM, et al. Mechanical Thrombectomy Global Access For Stroke (MT-GLASS). Circulation. 2023.
[3] World Stroke Organization. Global Stroke Fact Sheet 2025.

For further information, please contact:

Joost Maltha
Philips Global External Relations
Tel.: +31 6 1055816
E-mail: joost.maltha@philips.com

Avi Dines
Philips North America
Tel: +1 781 690 3814
E-mail: avi.dines@philips.com

About Royal Philips 

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips’ patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2025 sales of EUR 18 billion and employs approximately 64,800 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Attachments

• Philips Robotics Control Room Visualization for Interventional Procedures
• Philips Azurion Image Guided Therapy Platform