The research focus of the Science and Technologies Of Robotics in Medicine (STORM) Lab spans several fields of surgical robotics, with particular focus on medical capsule robots, robotic endoscopy, affordable medical devices and autonomy in robotic surgery. We aim to design technologies that have the potential to transform healthcare, improving the outcome for patients and widening accessibility of screening, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in low-income countries.
As this phenomenon can be harnessed to transmit motions across a physical barrier; our aim is to apply the engineering knowledge on magnetic coupling to transmit forces across the abdominal wall, reducing the number of incisions to one, and exploiting magnetic coupling in order to control surgical instruments.
To provide an ultra-low-cost option for gastric cancer screening in rural areas of low-income countries. The soft robot, ‘bellowscope’ project aims to deliver an equivalent, or improved range of motion when compared to traditional endoscopes, while being low-cost and disposable.
As the World Health Organization (WHO) recently highlighted, sustainable development in low resource countries will be hard to achieve unless the international health and development community addresses the enormous global burden of surgical conditions. There is an urgent need to scale-up surgical services to prevent them becoming a major barrier to national income growth, economic productivity, and improved human welfare.
The system aims to deliver an equivalent, or improved range of motion when compared to traditional endoscopes, while being low-cost and disposable.
Water-jet actuation inside a portable platform with disposable components and autonomous operation based on image analysis and feature extraction.
Capsule robots are mesoscale devices that leverage extreme miniaturization to access environments that are out of reach of larger robots and that can push the boundaries of how diseases are diagnosed and treated. In medicine, capsule robots can enter the human body through natural orifices or small incisions and perform diagnostics and therapeutics while minimizing the invasiveness of the procedure.
We are pioneering a new design of endoscope that will enable faster, painless, low cost investigations.
A pioneering capsule capable of performing diagnostic ultrasound within the gastrointestinal tract.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is unique technique to access, diagnose and operate on the internal organs of the human body through tiny incisions without damaging/cutting the skin layers. With our activities, we try to improve minimally invasive surgery via innovative robotic approaches.
We are exploring the idea of using miniature magnetic tentacles to reach many areas of the body that are currently difficult for surgeons to access.
We are developing strategies for shared control of the dVRK as well as advanced learning techniques, in order to allow a close collaboration between the surgeon and its robotic assistant.
Using magnetic coupling to transmit forces across the abdominal wall, reducing the number of incisions to one, and exploiting magnetic coupling in order to control surgical instruments.
Securing partnerships and collaborators helps us progress our pioneering research. As our projects diversify; these groups continued involvement and new relationships allows us to work towards our goals.
I am developing a small robotic device to replace the conventional colonoscope. This new robot could allow live images and tissue biopsies to be taken of the colon. It has the potential to be a simple and effective procedure with minimal patient discomfort – improving on some of the main drawbacks of the current procedure.
Medical Robotics Research Fellow