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Abstract: Recent advancements in surgical robotics have revolutionized medical procedures, offering reduced patient trauma, shorter hospital stays, and improved diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. Despite the benefits, challenges persist. Accessibility to target anatomy remains a primary challenge. To enhance safety, research is exploring intelligentsemi/autonomous control, where robots perform tasks under surgeon supervision, requiring understanding of both robot perception and surgeon decision-making, requiring Surgeon-Centric Brain-In-the-Loop Autonomous Control techniques. My talkcovers our efforts to engineer surgery, a.k.a. surgineering, which enhances dexterity and autonomy in various, minimally invasive procedures such as spinal fixation, colorectal cancer diagnosis, and bioprinting of muscle loss injuries using continuum manipulators, soft sensors, flexible implants, and intelligent robotic systems.

 Bio: Dr. Farshid Alambeigi is an Assistant Professor at the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin since August 2019. He is also one of the core faculties of the Texas Robotics. Dr. Alambeigi received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University, in 2019. He also holds an M.Sc. degree (2017) in Robotics from the Johns Hopkins University. In summer of 2018, Dr. Alambeigi received the 2019 SIEBEL Scholarship because of the academic excellence and demonstrated leadership. In 2020, Dr. Alambeigi received the NIH NIBIB Trailblazer Career Award to develop novel flexible implants and robots for minimally invasive spinal fixation surgery. He also has received the prestigious 2022 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to develop an in vivo bioprinting surgical robotic system for treatment of volumetric muscle loss. At The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Alambeigi directs the Advanced Robotic Technologies for Surgery (ARTS) Lab. Dr. Alambeigi’s research focuses on developing high dexterity and situationally aware continuum manipulators, soft robots, and appropriate instruments and sensors designed for less/minimally invasive treatment of various medical applications. Utilizing these novel surgical instruments together with intelligent control algorithms, the ARTS Lab in collaboration with the UT Dell Medical School will work toward engineering of the surgery (Surgineering) and partnering dexterous intelligent robots with surgeons. Ultimately, our goal is to augment the clinicians’ skills and quality of the surgery to further improve patient’s safety and outcomes.