Robust Surgical Perception: Toward Autonomous Robotic Surgery
Abstract - Despite the strong capabilities of current surgical robots, such as high precision and dexterity, they are predominantly fully controlled by surgeons during surgeries. Toward the goal of elevating surgical robot autonomy, the capability for real-time, accurate 3D perception of complex surgical environments, and the ability to understand surgical procedures are critical enabling technologies. In this talk, I will discuss a series of our works on developing robust perception frameworks that can perform reconstruction and deformation tracking of surgical scenes, as well as track robot poses, potentially allowing surgeons and robots to better 'see' what's happening during surgery. I will also discuss how we leverage these perception results to control robots for deformable object manipulation.
Bio - Shan Lin is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California San Diego in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Shan received her Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Washington in 2021 and an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2017. Her research interests lie at the intersection of AI, robotics, and medicine, with a focus on medical robotics. She is a recipient of the Pioneers of Medical Robotics Award at IROS 2023 and was selected as a Rising Star in EECS 2022.
Zoom Link: https://wpi.zoom.us/s/92946413217