From Pixels to Pupil: Computer Vision and Augmented Reality in Medical Robotics

From semi-autonomy in cars to the auto-focusing cameras in smartphones, computer vision forms the backbone of numerous key technologies. This talk will cover the building blocks enabling computer vision and its application to medical robotics. Specifically, we will uncover machine vision's use in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery and how it is transforming training pedagogy for surgical residents. A novel augmented-reality simulator for the da Vinci Surgical System will be introduced, and its benefits in teaching novices surgical skills will be explored. The presentation will also venture into the field of obstetric ultrasound, and how object tracking, mixed reality, and machine learning are helping to address limited access to maternal-fetal care in rural and resource-limited communities. This talk aims to give an overview of the intersection of electrical engineering and medicine in a robotics context, and spark discussion surrounding the use of technology in surgical training and fetal imaging.

Alexandre Banks (he/him) is passionate about the overlap of robotics and computer vision, and seeks to create new technologies that can advance medicine. After graduating with a B.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of New Brunswick, he moved to Vancouver to pursue a Master of Applied Science in Biomedical Engineering. In his lab at UBC, the Robotics and Control Laboratory, he is currently developing software to train novices on the da Vinci Surgical Robot and designing a vision-based system to enable semi-autonomy in obstetric ultrasound. Outside of research, he loves to run and go hiking with friends.