Medical Augmented Reality Summer School 2026
AI, Robotics and XR for Clinical Applications
The 6th edition of the Medical Augmented Reality Summer School (MARSS2026) will be held from April 20–29, 2026 in the Shenzhen Loop Area, China and at CAIR, Hong Kong, China.
- Location: Shenzhen Loop Area, China + CAIR Hong Kong, China
- Dates: April 20–29, 2026
- Application Deadline: March 2, 2026 - Deadline Extended to: March 23, 2026
- Contact: Event@cair-cas.org.hk
Organizers
- Prof. Dr. Hongbin Liu – Center for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR), Hong Kong
- Prof. Dr. Nassir Navab – Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Prof. Dr. S. Kevin Zhou – University of Science and Technology of China (USTC)
- Prof. Dr. Jason Ying Kuen Chan – The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
About MARSS2026
From April 20th to 29th, 2026, the 6th edition of the Medical Augmented Reality Summer School will be held at the Shenzhen Loop Area in Shenzhen, China. Co-organized by a consortium led by the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (CAIR) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), this edition will forge crucial connections between Medical Augmented Reality (AR), Surgical Data Science, and Robotics.
MARSS26 is designed as a premier international platform for deep, cross-disciplinary exchange. It brings together world-leading experts, clinicians, and researchers to explore the latest frontiers in AI, robotics, and XR for clinical applications. A distinguished faculty, including members of academies and renowned scholars, will deliver keynotes and lectures on cutting-edge research and clinical insights.
Beyond lectures, the program is built on interactive, practice-oriented pillars: an intensive hackathon, where interdisciplinary teams develop novel systems at the intersection of XR, AI, and robotics guided by surgeons and experts; a dedicated Medical-Engineering Integration Symposium for high-level discussion among top clinicians and scientists; and site visits to leading Hong Kong institutions. We actively promote diversity and offer awards for selected students.”
We actively promote diversity in terms of gender and region and provide a free registration award for selected students.
This event is endorsed by the MICCAI society and covered by the MICCAI Code of Conduct.
Application & Fees
MARSS 2026 is intended for students and researchers working at the intersection of Medicine, AI, Robotics, and XR. Applicants should have a basic understanding of these areas and be familiar with at least one relevant programming language and/or framework (e.g., Python, C#, Unity, ROS, PyTorch, AR/VR development frameworks). Clinicians and medical professionals are also welcome — no technical background is required, provided there is strong interest in technology-enabled clinical applications.
Please submit your application through the form below. The official registration deadline for technical researchers is March 2nd, 2026 (Deadline Extended to: March 23, 2026).
Your application will be reviewed, and you will receive feedback as soon as possible after the registration deadline. In case of acceptance, we will send you a personal link to finalize your registration. Your definitive participation is confirmed with the payment of the conference fee:
- 300 EUR (without accommodation) / 490 EUR (with accommodation) for technical and medical researchers
- 1220 EUR for industry participants (without accommodation)
For questions please contact Event@cair-cas.org.hk.
Apply as Local Researcher/Clinician/Industrial Partner
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Dr. Nassir Navab
Head of the Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality, Department of Computer Science, TU Munich
Prof. Dr. Hongbin Liu
Professor and Director, Centre for AI and Robotics, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Science, China
Prof. Dr. S. Kevin Zhou
Chair professor, and Executive Dean of the School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, China
Prof. Dr. Mark Billinghurst
Chair professor at Adelaide University, and Director of the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments
Prof. Dr. Russell Taylor
John C. Malone Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Johns Hopkins University, USA
Prof. Dr. Bradley Nelson
Full Professor, Multi-Scale Robotics Lab, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Prof. Dr. Sebastien Ourselin
Head of School, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Kings College London, UK
Prof. Dr. Wai Yan Philip Chiu
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor of Robotic Surgery, Director of Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center, Director of Endoscopy Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prof. Dr. Hongliang Ren
Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Prof. Dr. Kwok Wai Samuel Au
Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Prof. Dr. Qi Dou
Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Prof. Dr. Kwok Ka Wai
Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Prof. Dr. Hideo Saito
Department of Information and Computer Science, Keio University, Japan
Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Ferrari
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Informazione, Università di Pisa
Siddarth Satish
Vice President, Digital Innovation for Surgical Technologies, Stryker
Nissan Elimelech
Serial entrepreneur, General Manager @ Snke XR
Prof. Dr. Tat Ming Danny Chan
Clinical Associate Professor (Honorary) & Head, Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Co-Director, Otto Wong Brain Tumour Centre, CUHK
Paul Barach, B.Med.Sci, MD, MPH, Maj (Ret.), AUA
Professor, Anesthesiology/Surgery Critical Care Clinician-Scientist, Simulation, Chief Medical Officer, Strategy consultant, Disasters & Emergencies; Public Health Accreditation; Medical Device and AI start up advisor
Prof. Jason Chan Ying Kuen
Chairman, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Ms. Eva Ma Wai-ling
Center Head, Community Rehabilitation Service Support Centre, Hong Kong Hospital Authority
Prof. Dirk Wilhelm, MD
Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Germany
Navid Navab
Associate Director in Responsive Media, Topological Media Lab, Concordia University, Montréal, Canada
Schedule
First Week (April 20–25)
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | Opening Ceremony – Welcome Professors Navab, Liu & Jason Chan | |||||
| 09:00 | Keynote: Prof. Nassir Navab CAMP, TU Munich | Clinical Keynote: Prof. Danny Chan Division of Neurosurgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Keynote: Prof. Philip Chiu MRC, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Keynote: Prof. Russel Taylor Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University | Visit to CAIR and MRC, Hong Kong Excursion to CAIR and MRC Research Centers, Hong Kong | |
| 09:30 | ||||||
| 10:00 | Keynote: Prof. Bradley Nelson Robotics and Intelligent Systems, ETH Zürich | Keynote Eva Ma Queen Elizabeth Hospital | Keynote: Prof. Hideo Saito Department of Information and Computer Science, Keio University | Clinical Keynote: Prof. Greg Osgood Orthopedic/Trauma Surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital | Clinical Keynote: Prof. Jason Chan Ying Kuen Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | |
| 10:30 | ||||||
| 11:00 | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | |
| 11:30 | Keynote: Prof. Hongbin Liu CAIR, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Keynote: Navid Navab Topological Media Lab, Concordia University | Keynote: Prof. Sebastian Ourselin School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, Kings College London | Keynote: Nissan Elimelech (Snke XR) Serial entrepreneur, General Manager @ Snke XR | Clinical Keynote: TBD | |
| 12:00 | ||||||
| 12:30 | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | |
| 13:00 | ||||||
| 13:30 | ||||||
| 14:00 | Lecture: Unity 101 Introduction to Unity for Medical AR development | Lecture: Sonification Surgical sonification and audio applications in Medical AR | Lecture: Registration Image registration methods in Medical AR | Lecture: Interaction User interaction in Medical AR systems | Panel Discussion: Professors Navab, Danny Chan, Jason Chan, Osgood | |
| 14:30 | ||||||
| 15:00 | Hackathon – Kickoff | Lecture Visualization | Lecture: Perceptual Visualisation | Hackathon | ||
| 15:30 | ||||||
| 16:00 | Hackathon | Hackathon | Hackathon | Hackathon | ||
| 16:30 | ||||||
| 17:00 | ||||||
| 17:30 | Keynote: Clinical Session & Game – Intro Prof. Barach Prof. Paul Barach, Patient Safety & Medical Education | |||||
| 18:00 | ||||||
| 18:30 | Dim Sum & Posters – Icebreaker | Game Night | ||||
| 19:00 | Conference Dinner | |||||
| 19:30 | ||||||
| 20:00 | ||||||
| 20:30 | ||||||
| 21:00 | ||||||
| 21:30 |
Second Week (April 27–29)
| Time | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | Clinical Keynote: Prof. Dirk Wilhelm Klinik und Poliklinik für Chirurgie, TUM Klinikum Rechts der Isar | Keynote: Prof. Samuel Au Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Keynote: Prof. Hongliang Ren Department of Electronic Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong |
| 09:30 | |||
| 10:00 | Keynote: Prof. Qi Dou Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Keynote: Prof. Ka-Wai Kwok Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong | Keynote: Prof. S. Kevin Zhou School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China |
| 10:30 | |||
| 11:00 | Coffee Break | Coffee Break | Coffee Break |
| 11:30 | Hackathon | Keynote: Prof. Mark Billinghurst College of Engineering and Information Technology, University of South Australia | Demo Day – Session 1 |
| 12:00 | |||
| 12:30 | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | Lunch Break |
| 13:00 | |||
| 13:30 | |||
| 14:00 | Hackathon | Hackathon | Demo Day – Session 2 |
| 14:30 | |||
| 15:00 | |||
| 15:30 | |||
| 16:00 | Demo Day – Session 3 | ||
| 16:30 | |||
| 17:00 | |||
| 17:30 | |||
| 18:00 | Closing Ceremony Award ceremony and closing of MARSS 2026 | ||
| 18:30 | |||
| 19:00 |
Hosting Institution
CAIR (Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) is one of the two centers under Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, the only Direct Affiliated Institute established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hong Kong. Established in 2019, CAIR is dedicated to integrate innovation in AI and healthcare. Centered around three key research areas — Multimodal AI Large Model, Embodied-AI Robotics, and Intelligent Sensing Technology — CAIR is one of the InnoHK centers in the AI cluster.
CAIR has established a high-caliber research team led by foreign academicians from Europe and the United States, national-level talents, and leading scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has collaborated with top universities in the UK, Germany, France, and other countries to establish joint laboratories, and formed strategic partnerships with top-tier medical institutions across mainland China, Hong Kong, and internationally.
Local Organizing Committee
- Dr. Jun Xu, Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, HK Institute of Science & Innovation, CAS
- Dr. Sheema Kooshapur, Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality, Technical University of Munich
- Dr. Han Li, Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality, Technical University of Munich
- Dr. Ulrich Eck, Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality, Technical University of Munich
- Dr. Jinlin Wu, Centre for Artificial Intelligence & Robotics, HK Institute of Science & Innovation, CAS