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‘surgical robots’

Vanderbilt researchers’ surgical robots could make radical prostatectomy safer, less invasive

Feb. 10, 2021—Researchers at the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering have developed a minuscule robot that could revolutionize surgical procedures for treating prostate cancer, which affects one in nine men in the United States. Using a lifelike model, the team demonstrated that the surgical robot could not only remove the prostate gland and tissues through the...

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Simaan honored as IEEE Fellow for robotics advancements

Dec. 2, 2019—Nabil Simaan, professor of mechanical engineering, has been elevated to IEEE Fellow by the Board of Directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The award – effective January 1, 2020 – recognizes Simaan for contributions to dexterous continuum robotics for surgery. Technologies developed by his group have advanced surgical robotics by enabling steerable...

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Webster named Richard A. Schroeder Chair in Mechanical Engineering

Feb. 28, 2019—Robert J. Webster III, whose work has led to tools and methods for surgeries that require little or no incision, has been named the Richard A. Schroeder Chair in Mechanical Engineering. He is among Vanderbilt University’s newest endowed chair holders. In all, eight recipients were celebrated for their path-breaking scholarship and research by family members,...

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Getting robotic surgical tools from the lab to the operating room

May. 8, 2018—The path from university lab to commercialization is especially complex in the biotech industry. Challenges range from long lead times, sometimes measured in decades, to the costs of transforming ideas into innovations, as well as issues of intellectual property, patenting and licensing. Yet Nabil Simaan, a mechanical engineering professor who specializes in designing robots to...

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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...

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National Robotics Initiative grant will provide surgical robots with a new level of machine intelligence

Oct. 28, 2013—Nabil Simaan testing a surgical robot that he designed. (Joe Howell / Vanderbilt) Providing surgical robots with a new kind of machine intelligence that significantly extends their capabilities and makes them much easier and more intuitive for surgeons to operate is the goal of a major new grant announced as part of the National Robotics...

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Nautilus: Team’s tiny robot called medical science ‘breakthrough’

Aug. 2, 2013—A miniscule robotic surgical tool created by engineers and surgeons at Vanderbilt University and Columbia University is singled out by Nautilus science magazine with four other remarkable developments as “unlikely breakthroughs” in medical science with potentially widespread applications. The Nautilus article, released today, is part of a monthly package of articles on a single topic. ...

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Developing robots for the hospital emergency room

Dec. 8, 2010—Are you ready for robots in the ER? A group of computer engineers at Vanderbilt University is convinced that the basic technology is now available to create robot assistants that can perform effectively in the often-chaotic environment of the emergency room. The specialists in emergency medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are enthusiastic about the...

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