Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering Seminar Friday, October 15th

Dr. Christopher Nycz Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Will present a talk titled:

Powered Hand Orthoses and MRI Guided Interventions: Applications of Robotics in Healthcare

Abstract: The use of robotics in healthcare can provide tools for clinicians to perform procedures that were previously not possible as well as to assist patients at home and through their daily lives. In this talk I will discuss two examples of these technologies. The first, the use of powered hand orthoses to assist individuals with impairments following neurological trauma or disease. I will discuss different designs that have been explored for this purpose, the importance of working alongside clinicians and patients during the development process, and the use of biomechanics tools to provide engineering context for the medical conditions being addressed. The second technology is the use of MRI-guided robotics to deliver therapeutic or diagnostic tools. These robots can allow surgeons to manipulate tools inside the bore of the MRI machine, allowing for the use of intraoperative MRI to guide the procedure. I will discuss the design constraints imposed by the MR environment and the methods we’ve implemented to overcome these constraints. Further development of these technologies will provide improved outcomes for patients, improved surgical workflow, and new options for clinicians when addressing complex medical conditions.

Date: October 15, 2021

Time: 11:00 am

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Bio: Christopher Nycz received his PhD in robotics engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2018, where his doctoral research focused on the use of powered hand orthoses to assist individuals with upper motor neuron disorders. Dr. Nycz has stayed on at WPI to help launch PracticePoint, a membership-based healthcare development and testing facility supported in part by a $5M grant from the Mass Technology Collaborative. At PracticePoint, Dr. Nycz is responsible for operating a broad range of research infrastructure and managing collaborative industry-academia projects. In this role, Dr. Nycz has worked on topics related to MR imaging, surgical robotics, robotic endoscopy, and human biomechanics. In his research, Dr. Nycz seeks to apply emerging technologies in robotics to address real-world needs in the healthcare sector, with the goals of improving patient outcomes and clinical workflow.

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