Organ transplantation has become a common and life-saving surgery, perfected over the past decades. However, due to the inherent scarcity of donor organs and the high-risk nature of the procedure, it remains a costly operation. A critical aspect is maintaining the donated organ’s viability by keeping it cooled below 8°C until it is fully connected to the recipient.

Efforts to make the surgery less invasive, including the use of robotic techniques, have heightened the need for effective solutions to insulate and cool the organ during transplantation. We partnered with a small startup to develop a groundbreaking solution. This endeavor required working with real materials and employing creative prototyping methods, as no rapid prototyping techniques were available for these specific materials and processes.