Robotics Institute Seminar: Mahdi Tavakoli (University of Alberta)

Intelligent Robotics for Human-Machine Collaboration in Healthcare

Join on Zoom

Surgical, therapeutic, and diagnostic interventions can be significantly enhanced using computer-integrated robotic systems with real-time decision-making capabilities that work under the direct, shared, or supervisory control of surgeons and therapists. Incorporating appropriate levels of autonomy in systems for healthcare delivery can lower the mental and physical loads on clinicians while improving the reliability, precision, and safety of the interventions for patients. In this seminar, Dr. Mahdi Tavakoli, Professor and Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Healthcare Robotics, discusses several applications of medical robotics and their related challenges and offers solutions based on combining the capabilities of humans with the precision, accuracy, and fast decision-making capabilities of machines.

Speaker bio

Mahdi Tavakoli is a Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and the Biomedical Engineering Department and a Senior University of Alberta Engineering Research Chair in Healthcare Robotics. He is also Co-Director of the Mechatronics & Robotics Co-op Engineering Program at the University of Alberta. He received his PhD degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Western Ontario, Canada, in 2005. From 2006 to 2008, he was a post-doctoral researcher at Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics (CSTAR), Canada, and an NSERC Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard University, USA. Dr. Tavakoli’s research interests involve medical robotics, image-guided surgery, and rehabilitation robotics. Dr. Tavakoli is the Specialty Chief Editor for Frontiers in Robotics and AI (Robot Design Section). He is a Senior Member of IEEE and an Associate Editor for the International Journal of Robotics Research, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, and Journal of Medical Robotics Research.