Overview

Research in medical robotics, mechatronics and computer-assisted surgery has made remarkable progress in the past decade for many surgical procedures in cardiothoracic, neurological, laparoscopy, and general surgery. Novel strategies and technological developments are required to take full advantage of the dexterity, maneuverability, precision, accuracy, speed, repeatability, and automaticity that medical systems can provide. Our research aims to exploit the potential of robotics, mechatronics and computer systems to innovate treatments, enhance efficiency, and minimize complications for improved patient outcomes. We currently have two on-going research thrusts:

Research Thrust 1: Magnetic Actuation and Smart Materials for Medical Robots

Robotic minimally invasive surgery (MIS) facilitates the delivery of long-rod surgical instruments equipped with dexterous end-effectors into a patient’s body through one or multiple incisions, thereby minimizing trauma, bleeding, post-operative pain, and the length of hospital stay. Despite these advantages, executing complex surgical tasks within enclosed body regions such as heart chambers or vessels without substantial incisions remains a formidable challenge. My research addresses these issues and seeks to enhance MIS techniques by:
1. Magnetically Actuating Miniature Robots: This involves the magnetic actuation and control of diminutive surgical robots in constrained workspaces. It encompasses the real-time localization of these robots within a cluttered surgical setting to enable autonomous control, using deep learning techniques to refine robot control performance, and augmenting the needle penetration force to satisfy clinical requirements.
2. Controlling Magnetically Actuated Capsule Robots: The development and control of magnetically actuated capsule robots aim to eliminate the need for a dedicated incision for a laparoscope in MIS. This innovation allows for unimpeded manipulation of surgical cameras within the patient’s abdominal cavity.
3. Developing a Fully Insertable Robotic Surgical Camera System: This strategy focuses on the creation of a fully insertable robotic surgical camera system to provide enhanced and continuous visual guidance in MIS procedures.
4. Investigating Smart Materials for Micro-Scale Actuation: our research includes the exploration and modeling of the properties of intelligent materials to facilitate micro-scale actuation mechanisms, specifically designed for miniature surgical robots.

Representative Publications:

Research Thrust 2: Patient-Specific Cardiovascular Surgical Planning 

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death associated with congenital anomalies in the newborn period. Despite significant advances in surgical management for CHD, one significant source of morbidity and mortality arises from the complexity of surgical reconstruction and implantation for diverse anatomies in the cardiovascular system. Predicting surgical outcomes and identifying optimal surgical implantations to reduce post-surgical complications are challenging tasks due to the variety of patient-specific anatomies, the growth of pediatric patients, and the uncertainty of modeling the cardiovascular system. My research aims to overcome these challenges through:
1. Integrating Machine Learning for Surgical Planning: We combines machine learning, computational multi-physics, and design optimization techniques to develop a surgical planning computation framework for autonomously designing patient-specific vascular grafts and implantation plan with optimal blood flow performance.
2. Design Optimization of Patient-Specific Vascular Graft: This focuses on the optimization of patient-specific tissue engineered vascular graft under uncertainties of post-operative boundary conditions and anastomosis displacement.
3. Investigation of Blood Flow Dynamics Computation Strategies: This research area involves exploring computational strategies for blood flow dynamics, seeking to balance accuracy against efficiency in a way that meets clinical requirements.
4. Innovating Cardiovascular Surgical Planning Tools: This research involves the development of cutting-edge cardiovascular surgical planning tools that facilitate intuitive vascular graft design. By employing virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) techniques, alongside real-time blood flow performance feedback, surgeons can receive essential guidance pre-operatively.

Representative Publications: