Endoluminal Robots: Advanced Diagnosis and Targeted Therapies

Abstract:          

The scope of this workshop is to advance knowledge in the field of endoluminal robotics, by describing smart tethered and untethered instruments, capsule-based robots and other diagnostic and therapeutic platforms, ranging from the meso- to nano-scale. A wide range of open challenges about endoluminal robots will be addressed in the proposed workshop, entitled “Endoluminal Robots: Advanced Diagnosis and Targeted Therapies”. Ranging from active navigation mechanisms to sensing and therapeutic modules, the presentations will cover key aspects of smart robotic devices for endoluminal procedures approaching issues, such as: i) capsules and novel flexible endoscopic devices, ii) robotic navigation for active endoscopic capsules and smart probes, iii) sensing and therapeutic modules and iv) micro- and nano-scale devices.

List of Speakers (tentative)

Paolo Dario, The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, dario@sssup.it
Presentation Title:  Endoluminal Robots: Achievements and Open Challenges
Bio:  Paolo Dario is currently Full Professor of Biomedical Robotics and Director of the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, where he supervises a team of about 120 researchers and Ph.D. students. He is coordinator of many national and European projects, editor of two books on robotics, and author of more than 500 papers (more than 250 on ISI journals).

Arianna Menciassi, The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, dario@sssup.it
Presentation Title:  Endoluminal Therapeutic Strategies at Different Scales
Bio:  Arianna Menciassi is Full Professor of Biomedical Robotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area. She is co-author of more than 200 scientific publications (more than 120 on ISI journals) and 6 book chapters on biomedical robots/devices and micro-technology. She is also inventor of 25 patents, national and international.

Robert J. Webster III, Vanderbilt University, webster@vanderbilt.edu
Presentation Title:  Flexible innovative catheters for endoluminal diagnosis and therapy
Bio:  Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Otolaryngology, Neurological Surgery, and Urologic Surgery. 47 Refereed Journal Articles in Print or In Press and 75 Refereed Conference Papers In Print or In Press. Research interest in: i) electromechanical design, modelling, and control, particularly as applied to medical systems; ii) image-guided surgery and medical robotics; iii) cochlear implant surgery; iv) continuum (continuously flexible) robots; v) needle-sized manipulators, and steerable needles; vi) pill-sized swallowable robots and other meso-scale devices; vii) Human-Machine Interfaces for surgical training and/or teleoperation.

Gastone Ciuti, The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, ciuti@sssup.it
Presentation Title:  Robotic Endoscopic Capsule: a Non-invasive Approach to Deliver Diagnosis and Therapy
Bio:  Gastone Ciuti is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Robotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Computer-Integrated Technologies for Robotic Surgery Laboratory, The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area.

Leonardo Ricotti, The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, ricotti@sssup.it
Presentation Title:  Micro-Nano Bio Robots for Targeted Therapy: the New Frontier of Robotics
Bio:  Leonardo Ricotti is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Biorobotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Micro-Nano-Bio Systems and Targeted Therapy Laboratory, within The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area.

Alberto Arezzo, University of Turin, arezzo@mac.com
Presentation Title:  Innovative Endoscopes: a Clinical View of Endoscopic Robots
Bio:  Alberto Arezzo is Associate Professor at the University of Turin, Italy. He is a general surgeon and digestive endoscopists for operative procedures, mainly dedicated to clinical activity, with an academic role and deeply involved in several research projects sponsored by the European Commission and private companies.

Misra Sarthak, University of Twente, misra@utwente.nl
Presentation Title: Magnetic Micro Swimmers
Bio:  Sarthak Misra joined the University of Twente in 2009. He is currently an Associate Professor (Adjunct-hoogleraar) in the Department of Biomechanical Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering Technology. He directs the Surgical Robotics Laboratory, and is affiliated with MIRA – Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine.

Jake Abbott, University of Utah, abbott@utah.edu
Presentation Title:  Magnetically-driven Systems Applied to Endoluminal Districts
Bio:  Jake Abbott is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah, and he is the director of the Telerobotics Laboratory. He joined the University of Utah in 2008. Before coming to Utah, he spent three years in Switzerland as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at ETH Zurich. Dr. Abbott received his Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in 2005, his M.S. from the University of Utah in 2001, and his B.S. from Utah State University in 1999, all in Mechanical Engineering.

Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena, Imperial College, rodriguez@imperial.ac.uk
Presentation Title:  Bio-inspired Flexible Catheters
Bio:  Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from King’s College London in 2000. He then joined the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College, where he gained a PhD in Medical Robotics. He is now a reader in Mechanical Engineering, where he leads the Mechatronics in Medicine Laboratory. Dr Rodriguez y Baena’s current research interests lie in the application of mechatronic systems to medicine, in the specific areas of clinical training, diagnostics and surgical intervention.

Mamoru Mitsuishi, University of Tokyo, mamoru@nml.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Presentation Title:  Micro Instrumentations for Hard to Reach Pathologies
Bio:  Professor Mitsuishi obtained the PhD at the University of Tokyo where he joined in 1986. His research areas include: i) intelligent manufacturing (Sensor based intelligent manufacturing system, high precision high speed machining system, active thermal deformation compensation, chatter vibration avoidance), ii) remote manufacturing system with reality transmission capability, iii) tele-microsurgical system (telesurgery system, remote surgery system), iv) minimally invasive surgical system, and v) tele-micro-machining/handling system.

Organizer I:      Paolo Dario – IEEE and EMBS Member
Bio:  Paolo Dario is currently Full Professor of Biomedical Robotics and Director of the       BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, where he supervises a team of about 120 researchers and Ph.D. students. He is coordinator of many national and European projects, editor of two books on robotics, and author of more than 500 papers (more than 250 on ISI journals).

Organizer II:     Arianna Menciassi-IEEE and EMBS Member
Bio:  Arianna Menciassi is Full Professor of Biomedical Robotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area. She is co-author of more than 200 scientific publications (more than 120 on ISI journals) and 6 book chapters on biomedical robots/devices and micro-technology. She is also inventor of 25 patents, national and international.

Organizer III:    Gastone Ciuti – IEEE Member
Bio:  Gastone Ciuti is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Robotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Computer-Integrated Technologies for Robotic Surgery Laboratory, within The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area.

Organizer IV:    Leonardo Ricotti -IEEE Member
Bio:  Leonardo Ricotti is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Biorobotics at The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy and Head of The Micro-Nano-Bio Systems and Targeted Therapy Laboratory, within The Surgical Robotics and Allied Technologies Area.