CSTAR hosts summer robotics school for international visitors

Photos by Mike Maloney/London Community News/Twitter: mdmaloneyphoto London’s place in the world of advanced robotic surgery was once again in the spotlight this week (Aug. 13-17). Sixty-five doctoral and post-doctoral students and researchers from across Canada and the United States, as well as some from Japan, Qatar and Denmark, spent the last week at CSTAR (Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics), participating in the North American Surgical Robotics Summer School. Dr. Rajni Patel, director of engineering at CSTAR, said the event is geared to engineers, scientists and researchers in the fields of surgical robotics, image-guided interventions and surgical simulators — the people who will be further developing these technologies for use in the medical field. “They get an understanding what the surgeon does, what are the issues of the current state of the art,” remarked Dr. Patel.  “Issues they will need to be aware of to further develop technology for these kinds of applications.” One of the participants at the robotics camp was Carlos Sanchez Mendoza. Originally from Spain, Sanchez Mendoza is associated with the Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington, D.C., working in the field of medical computing. Looking for more exposure to both the surgical robotic and image-guided intervention communities, he notes that by attending this event, he has become more aware of how the two fields really overlap. “It has been a very productive experience.” Hosted by the Lawson Heath Research Institute, CSTAR and Western University, this marks the first time the event — which alternates between Europe and North America — has been held in London. Find us on Facebook: London Community News