{"689181":{"#nid":"689181","#data":{"type":"event","title":"PhD Defense by Timothy A. Brumfiel, Jr.","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EDesign, Analysis, and Evaluation of Continuum Robots for Minimally Invasive Endovascular and Neurosurgical Interventions\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDate:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EApril 7, 2026\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETime:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E9:00 am - 11:00 am EST\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ELocation:\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003EMcIntire Conference Room, Whitaker 3115\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EVirtual Link:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/91817181770\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/91817181770\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/gatech.zoom.us\/j\/91817181770\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETimothy A. Brumfiel, Jr.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERobotics Ph.D. Candidate\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWoodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECommittee:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Jaydev P. Desai (Advisor)\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Yue Chen\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Jun Ueda\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Levi Wood\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDr. Zachary L. Bercu\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDepartment of Radiology and Imaging Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEmory University\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMinimally invasive procedures utilize small incisions or natural orifices to perform surgery from within the body. This approach has the benefit of reduced patient trauma. However, manual navigation of the passive flexible devices utilized in these procedures is challenging in blood vessels with small diameters and extreme tortuosity or in regions with delicate surrounding structures, such as in neurosurgery. Continuum robots offer increased dexterity, compliance, and due to their simple structures, are highly miniaturizable, making them suitable for minimally invasive interventions. This work first focuses on a two degrees-of-freedom tendon-driven continuum robot tool for minimally invasive neurosurgery. The meso-scale tool is integrated with a robotic grasper for the manipulation of tissue, fiber optic strain sensors for shape and force sensing, and is evaluated by medical personnel within a phantom brain model. This work then focuses on sub-mm robotically steerable guidewires for endovascular interventions. Systematic design of the fabrication parameters is conducted, and a highly compact actuation mechanism is developed. The guidewire is further equipped with shape and force sensing through both fiber optics and imaging, and the feasibility of the device is tested in both phantom and \u003Cem\u003Ein vivo\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;animal models. Lastly, both active and passive stiffening of a robotic guidewire is conducted utilizing constant curvature and geometrically exact Cosserat rod-based modeling. A 0.5-5x change in stiffness for the active approach and a 37.26% increase in stiffness for the passive approach were achieved. Overall, this work demonstrates the capabilities of continuum robotic systems to provide enhanced dexterity, compact actuation, stiffness modulation, and improved safety for navigation in minimally invasive procedures.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDesign, Analysis, and Evaluation of Continuum Robots for Minimally Invasive Endovascular and Neurosurgical Interventions\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Design, Analysis, and Evaluation of Continuum Robots for Minimally Invasive Endovascular and Neurosurgical Interventions"}],"uid":"27707","created_gmt":"2026-03-25 14:27:54","changed_gmt":"2026-03-25 14:28:24","author":"Tatianna Richardson","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-04-07T09:00:23-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-04-07T11:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-04-07T11:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-04-07 13:00:23","gmt_time_end":"2026-04-07 15:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-04-07 15:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"McIntire Conference Room, Whitaker 3115","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"100811","name":"Phd Defense"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78771","name":"Public"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}