Autonomous Robots for Minimally Invasive Medicine
Abstract: In recent decades, medical interventions have evolved from traditional open surgeries to minimally invasive techniques, significantly benefiting patients by reducing pain, discomfort, and recovery times. These advanced procedures, however, present new challenges; only a select group of highly skilled clinicians and surgeons are currently able to perform them at the highest standards.
To overcome some of these obstacles, medical robots have become essential tools, enhancing clinician comfort, and enabling access to anatomically challenging locations. Despite these advancements, the effective operation of these robots still demands extensive training and experience. This talk will discuss elements of robot’s autonomy which could be fundamental to further empower clinicians in helping a larger number of patients.
We will delve into the latest developments in the design and autonomous control of continuum robots, which promise to revolutionize the precision with which these devices navigate and interact with complex, dynamic anatomical structures. Particular focus will be given to magnetically actuated robots, exploring their potential to improve maneuverability and efficacy in navigating intricate bodily environments.
Bio: Giovanni Pittiglio is a research fellow in Boston Children’s Hospital - Harvard Medical School, interested in the control of slender flexible robots (continuum robots) for diagnosis and treatment of deep-seated medical conditions. He received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and M.S. in Robotics and Automation from the University of Pisa (Italy). He received an M. Res. in Medical Robotics and Image Guided Intervention from Imperial College of London (UK), and Ph.D. in medical robotics from the University of Leeds (UK).
As a recognition of his contribution to the field of medical robotics, in 2023, he was honored with the Alumni Awards for Science and Sustainability in the USA, by the British Council.