‘Robert Webster’
A cap full of coffee can improve nose, throat surgery
Jun. 20, 2017—Imagine plopping six cups of coffee grounds on the heads of patients just before they are wheeled into the operating room to have nose or throat surgery? In essence, that is what a team of Vanderbilt University engineers are proposing in an effort to improve the reliability of the sophisticated “GPS” system that surgeons use...
WSJ names Vanderbilt engineer’s surgical robot one of six technologies worth watching
Jul. 11, 2016—A surgical robot with a tiny mechanical wrist developed by team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University’s Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory was named in June by the Wall Street Journal as one of six new medical technologies worth watching. The robot consists of an arm made of tiny concentric tubes that become smaller...
Three faculty members selected as 2016 Chancellor Faculty Fellows
Jan. 21, 2016—Three engineering professors have been named to the 2016 class of Chancellor Faculty Fellows. The class comprises 14 highly accomplished, recently tenured faculty from the humanities, social sciences, life and physical sciences, and clinical sciences, as well as business, education and engineering. “This class of fellows represents the remarkable breadth and depth of talent we...
Tiny mechanical wrist gives new dexterity to needlescopic surgery
Jul. 23, 2015—With the flick of a tiny mechanical wrist, a team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University’s Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory hope to give needlescopic surgery a whole new degree of dexterity. Needlescopic surgery, which uses surgical instruments shrunk to the diameter of a sewing needle, is the ultimate form of minimally invasive surgery....
Engineers lead 6 of 10 ‘cool inventions’ of 2014: CTTC
Jan. 16, 2015—A Vanderbilt engineering professor is a lead or co-inventor of six of the 10 “cool inventions” in 2014 highlighted by the university’s Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization in this video. The CTTC selected 10 from last year’s 200 inventions that have “the potential to profoundly impact lives around the globe.” The six inventions are:...
Dean presents annual engineering faculty, staff awards
May. 6, 2014—The School of Engineering recognized faculty and staff members for their exemplary research, teaching, and professional service during the 2013-2014 academic year. At the final faculty meeting of the year Dean Philippe Fauchet announced faculty promotions, recognized emeritus professors, and he presented four annual awards during a reception following the May 6 meeting. Xenofon Koutsoukos...
Robot evolution: Partnership intensifies between Vanderbilt engineers, physicians
Dec. 6, 2013—By David F. Salisbury In the foreseeable future, robots will stick steerable needles in your brain to remove blood clots, and capsule robots will crawl up your colon to reduce the pain of colonoscopies. “Bionic” prosthetic devices will help amputees regain lost mobility, and humanoid robots will help therapists give autistic children the skills to...
Robot uses steerable needles to treat brain clots
Aug. 8, 2013—Professor Robert Webster and his team have developed a new image-guided surgical system that uses steerable needles to essentially suck out clots. Watch a video demo of the system in action and read the full story.