Awarded in 2013
Home Department: Bioengineering
Faculty Advisors: David Camarillo (Bioengineering), Paul Wang (Medicine), and Kenneth Salisbury (Computer Science, Surgery)

Research Title: Robotic control of flexible ablation catheters for treating atrial fibrillation

Research Description: Atrial fibrillation is a chronic heart condition that afflicts more than 2.5 million in the US and is a significant risk factor for stroke. Tissue ablation using catheters is the standard procedure for treating AF, but this is encumbered by difficult and non-intuitive catheter manipulation and poor visual feedback. Michael is investigating robotic control methods that integrate real-time imaging and tracking technologies to autonomously perform ablation tasks. He aims to reduce the complexity of the procedure, the training needed to perform the operation, and the amount of x-ray radiation to the patient, thereby making the procedure safer, more widely available, and cost-effective.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Michael is an assistant professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering and Director of Medical Robotics Collaboratory at the Contextual Robotics Institute in the University of California, San Diego.