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Awards

  • 2012 University of Waterloo – Best Employer

  • 2013 IEEE IROS – Top Application Finalist Paper

  • 2013 Hamlyn Symposium – Best overall oral presentation

  • 2013 Hamlyn Symposium – 2nd poster prize

  • 2015 Gallie Bateman prize

  • 2015 Hamlyn Symposium – 2nd poster prize

  • 2015 Hamlyn Surgical Robotic Challenge – Design Winner

  • 2015 Hamlyn Surgical Robotic Challenge – Overall Winner

  • 2015 Vanier Scholarship – Kyle Eastwood and Amanda Khan

  • 2015 Hamlyn Surgical Robotic Challenge - Design Winner and Overall Winner

  • 2016 2nd Prize Hatchery Demo Day Competition

  • 2016 Vanier Scholarship – Dale Podolsky

  • 2018 Hamlyn Surgical Robotic Challenge - Design Winner

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Funding

  • Ontario Research Fund – “Centre for Computer Assisted Intervention and Innovation”

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation – “Disruptive Technologies in Paediatric and Foetal Intervention”

  • Centre for Brain and Behaviour – “IVH Porcine Model for Non-Invasive MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound Treatment of Intraventricular Hemorrhage”

  • Garron Family Cancer Care Centre – “Temperature measurement in cortical bone and bone marrow during magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound thermo-therapy in a porcine model”

  • CIHR Collaborative Health Research Program – “Temperature measurement in cortical bone and bone marrow during magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound thermo-therapy in a porcine model”

  • Brain Canada Multi-Investigator Research Initiative – “Non-invasive Treatment of Pediatric Neurological Disorders using MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS)”

  • SickKids Innovation Fund – “Pediatric Laparoscopic Trainer Box”

  • SickKids Innovation Fund – “A realistic neurosurgery simulator”

  • Ontario Centres of Excellence Technical Problem Solving – “Pneumatic Otoscopy”

  • Ontario Centres of Excellence Technical Problem Solving – “Optisim”

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation – "Rapid Prototyping of Patient Specific Models and Tools"

  • Canada Foundation for Innovation – "Advanced Fetal Diagnostics and Therapy Program" 

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Publications

2022

  • Science M, Caldeira-Kulbakas M, Parekh RS, Maguire BR, Carroll S, Anthony SJ, Bitnun A, Bourns LE, Campbell DM, Cohen E, Dodds A, Dubey V, Friedman JN, Greenwood JL, Hopkins JP, Imgrund R, Korczak DJ, Looi T, Louca E, Mertz D, Nashid J, Panzera G, Schneiderman JE, Schwartz KL, Streitenberger L, Vuppal S, Walsh CM, Jüni P, Matava CT; Back-to-School COVID-19 School Study Group. Effect of Wearing a Face Mask on Hand-to-Face Contact by Children in a Simulated School Environment: The Back-to-School COVID-19 Simulation Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2022 Oct 24. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.3833. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36279142.

  • Kang, P.H., Looi, T., Thiong’o, G.M.  and Drake, J. A simulation study to investigate the use of concentric tube robots for epilepsy surgery. Childs Nerv Syst (2022). Link to article here.

  • Aleong, A.,  Looi, T., Saini, S.S., Luo, K., Waspe, A., Zou, Z., Drake, J.M., Weersink, R.A.. Preliminary Study of a Modular MR-Compatible Robot for Image-Guided Insertion of Multiple Needles, Frontiers in Oncology, section Surgical Oncology (2022). Accepted.

  • Peel, B., Lee, W., Hussein, N., & Yoo, S. J. (2022). State-of-the-Art Silicone Molded Models for Simulation of Arterial Switch Operation: Innovation with Parting-and-Assembly Strategy. JTCVS Techniques. Link to article here.

  • Thiong’o, G.M., Looi, T., Rutka, J, Kulkarni, A., Drake, J. The design and validation of a hemispherectomy simulator for neurosurgical education. Journal of Neurosurgery (2022). Accepted.

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2021

  • Munawar, A., Li, Z., Kunjam, P., Nagururu, N., Ding, A.S., Kazanzides, P., Looi, T., Creighton, F.X., Taylor, R.H. and Unberath, M., 2021. Virtual reality for synergistic surgical training and data generation. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization, pp.1-9. Link to article here.

  • K. A. X. J. Luo, J. Kim, T. Looi and J. Drake, "Design Optimization for the Stability of Concentric Tube Robots," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 8309-8316, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2021.3102306. Link to article here.

  • Thiong’o, G.M., Bernstein, M. & Drake, J. 3D printing in neurosurgery education: a review. 3D Print Med 7, 9 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41205-021-00099-4. Link to article here.

  • Deonarain, A.R., Harrison, R.V., Gordon, K.A., Looi, T., Agur, A.M., Estrada, M., Wolter, N.E. and Propst, E.J. (2021), Synthetic Simulator for Surgical Training in Tracheostomy and Open Airway Surgery. The Laryngoscope. https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.29359. Link to abstract here.

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2020

  • Budde, L., Hon, N.W.L., Kim, J., Witterick, J., Campisi, P., Chan, Y., Forte, V., Drake, J., Looi, T. "Development of a steerable miniature instrument to manage internal carotid artery injury in endoscopic transsphenoid surgery simulation" in IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics Journal, HSMR Special Issue. Link to abstract here.

  • Lutfallah, C., Looi, T., Drake, J. "A Novel Bipolar Cautery Tool for Minimally-Invasive Neuroendoscopic Procedures", in 42nd Annual International Conferences of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Montreal, Canada. Link to abstract here.

  • Li, Z., Gordon, A., Looi, T., Drake, J., Forrest, C., & Taylor, R. H. (2020). "Anatomical Mesh-Based Virtual Fixtures for Surgical Robots", in 2020 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Las Vegas, USA. Accepted.

  • Kim, J., Looi, T., Newman, A., Drake, J. "Development of Deployable Bending Wrist for Minimally Invasive Laparoscopic Endoscope", in 2020 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Las Vegas, USA. Link to abstract here.

  • Li, Z., Gordon, A., Looi, T., Drake, J., Forrest, C., & Taylor, R. H. (2020). Anatomical Mesh-Based Virtual Fixtures for Surgical Robots. arXiv preprint arXiv:2006.02415. Link to paper here.

  • A. Lim, A. Schonewille, C. Forbrigger, T. Looi, J. Drake and E. Diller, "Design and Comparison of Magnetically-Actuated Dexterous Forceps Instruments for Neuroendoscopy," in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, doi: 10.1109/TBME.2020.3007581. Link to paper here.

  • A. Swarup, J. Kim, P. Francis, K. Eastwood, L. Kahrs, N. Chayaopas, J. Drake, A. James., "Design and Performance Evaluation of a Novel Compliant Wrist for Minimally Invasive Middle Ear Surgery," in IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 2022, doi: 10.1109/TMRB.2022.3196837. Link to paper here.

  • Eastwood, K. W., Swarup, A., Francis, P., Alvara, A. N., Chen, H., Looi, T., Naguib, H. E., and Drake, J. M. (February 18, 2020). "A Steerable Neuroendoscopic Instrument Using Compliant Contact-Aided Joints and Monolithic Articulation." ASME. J. Med. Devices. June 2020; 14(2): 025002. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4045934 Link to paper here.

  • G. C. Y. Wu, D. J. Podolsky, T. Looi, L. A. Kahrs, J. M. Drake and C. R. Forrest, "A 3 mm Wristed Instrument for the da Vinci Robot: Setup, Characterization, and Phantom Tests for Cleft Palate Repair," in IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 130-139, May 2020, doi: 10.1109/TMRB.2020.2977737. Link to paper here.

  • Chen T., Saadatnia Z., Kim J., Looi T., Drake J., Diller E., Naguib H., "Novel, Flexible and Ultra-thin Pressure Feedback Sensor for Miniaturized Intra-ventricular Neurosurgery Robotic Tools," in IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, doi: 10.1109/TIE.2020.2984427. Link to paper here

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2019

  • Deonarain, A.R., Harrison, R.V., Gordon, K.A., Wolter, N.E., Looi, T., Estrada, M. and Propst, E.J. (2020), Live porcine model for surgical training in tracheostomy and open‐airway surgery. The Laryngoscope. doi:10.1002/lary.28309. Link to paper here.

  • Walker MR, Zhong J, Waspe AC, Looi T, Piorkowska K, Drake JM, et al. (2019) Acute ex vivo changes in brain white matter diffusion tensor metrics. PLoS ONE 14(9): e0223211. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223211 Link to paper here.

  • S. Sabetian, T. Looi, E. D. Diller and J. Drake, "Self-Collision Detection and Avoidance for Dual-Arm Concentric Tube Robots," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2019.2933194. Link to paper here.

  • Bodani, V. P., Breimer, G. E., Haji, F. A., Looi, T., & Drake, J. M. (2019). Development and evaluation of a patient-specific surgical simulator for endoscopic colloid cyst resection, Journal of Neurosurgery JNS, , 1-9. Link to paper here.

  • Podolsky, D. J., Diller, E., Fisher, D. M., Wong Riff, K. W., Looi, T., Drake, J. M., and Forrest, C. R. (November 19, 2018). "Utilization of Cable Guide Channels for Compact Articulation Within a Dexterous Three Degrees-of-Freedom Surgical Wrist Design." ASME. J. Med. Devices. March 2019; 13(1): 011003. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4041591 Link to paper here.

  • C. Forbrigger et al., "Cable-Less, Magnetically Driven Forceps for Minimally Invasive Surgery," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 1202-1207, April 2019, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2019.2894504. Link to paper here.

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Earlier

  • Sorouri K., Podolsky D., Wang A., Fisher D., Wong K., Looi T., Drake J., Forrest C., Utilization of a robotic mount to determine the force required to cut palatal tissue, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials,
    Volume 86, 2018, Pages 433-439. Link to paper here.

  • D. Y. Khechoyan, N. R. Saber, J. Burge, A. Fattah, J. Drake, C. R. Forrest, J. H. Phillips.  “Surgical Outcomes in Craniosynostosis Reconstruction – The Use of Prefabricated Templates in Cranial Vault Remodeling”.  Under review, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.

  • “Fast Deformable Registration for Soft Organs with Large Motion in HIFU Treatment” X. Huang, A. Abdalbari, S. Zaheer, T. Looi, J. Ren and J. Drake. SPIE January 2013.

  •  “MatMARI and MatHIFU: Software toolboxes for real-time monitoring and control of MR-guided HIFU”, B. Zaporzan, A. Waspe, T. Looi, C. Mougenot, A. Partanen, S. Pichardo. Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound 2013 (accepted for publication).

  • Cheung, C.L., Looi, T., Drake, J., and Kim, P.C.W. "Magnetic resonance imaging properties of multimodality anthropomorphic silicone rubber phantoms for validating surgical robots and image guided therapy systems," SPIE Medical Imaging 2012: Image-Guided Procedures, Robotic Interventions, and Modeling. Vol. 8316.

  • N. R. Saber, J. Phillips, T. Looi, Z. Usmani, J. Burge, J. Drake, P. C. W. Kim. “Generation of Normative Pediatric Skull Models for Use in Cranial Vault Remodeling Procedures”.  Child’s Nervous System, 28(3):405-410, 2012.

  •  “Generation of Normative Pediatric Skull Models for Use in Cranial Vault Remodeling Procedures”, N. R. Saber, J. Phillips, T. Looi, Z. Usmani, J. Burge, J. Drake, PCW Kim. Child’s Nervous System, 28(3):405-410, 2012.

  • J. Burge, N. R. Saber, T. Looi, B. French, Z. Usmani, N. Anooshiravani, P. C. W. Kim, C. Forrest, J. Phillips. “Application of CAD-CAM Pre-Fabricated Age-Matched Templates in Cranio-orbital Remodeling in Craniosynostosis: A Feasibility Study”.  Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 22(5):1810-1813, 2011.

  • "A Novel Hybrid Model for Deformable Image Registration in Abdominal Procedures", X. Huang, PCW Kim, P. Babyn, T. Looi. Proceedings of SPIE, volume 7964, pp7964-19. SPIE Medical Imaging, February 2011.

  • “Application of CAD-CAM Pre-Fabricated Age-Matched Templates in Cranio-orbital Remodeling in Craniosynostosis: A Feasibility Study”, J. Burge, N. R. Saber, T. Looi, B. French, Z. Usmani, N. Anooshiravani, PCW Kim, C. Forrest, J. Phillips. Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, 22(5):1810-1813, 2011.

 

Conference Proceedings

  • F. Khan, B. Carrillo, T. Looi, J. Drake, "A dexterous instrument for minimally invasive neurosurgery," Hamlyn Symposium, London, 2013

  • “Simultaneous PRF and T1-mapping based MR thermometry for monitoring high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation of primary bone tumors”, A. Waspe, C. Mougenot, S. Pichardo, T. Looi, J. Amaral, M. Temple, HL Cheng, J. Drake. 21st International Symposium on Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, April 2013.

  • “Pulsatile Flow Phantom for MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) Vascular Thrombolysis and Occlusion” T. Hudson, A. Waspe,T. Looi, J. Drake. 21st International Symposium on Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, April 2013.

  •  “A Single Arm, Single Camera System for Automated Suturing”, S. Iyer, T. Looi, J. Drake. International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 2013.

  • Zaporzan B., Waspe A.C., Looi T., Mougenot, Partanen A., Pichardo S., “MatMRI and MatHIFU: software toolboxes for real-time monitoring and control of MR-guided HIFU,” J. Ther. Ultrasound, vol. 1, article 7, 2013.

  • “Impact of Neonatal Skull on Transcranial MR-Guided HiFU Re-focusing”, T. Looi, A. Waspe, C. Mougenot, S. Pichardo, K. Hynynen, J. Drake. 13th International Symposium on Therapeutic Ultrasound, May 2013 (accepted but declined).

  • “Image Guidance Framework with Endoscopic Video for Automated Robotic Anastomosis in a Paediatric Setting”, T. Looi, B. Yeung, M. Umasuthan, J. Drake. Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, June 2013.

  • “KidsArm – An Image-Guided Pediatric Anastomosis Robot”, T. Looi, B. Yeung, M. Umasuthan, J. Drake. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, November 2013 (accepted).

  • "A Single Arm, Single Camera System For Automated Suturing" ICRA 2013

  • N. R. Saber, M. A. Cachia, C. Forrest, J. Drake.  “Prediction of Cranial Shape from 3D Facial Photogrammetry: Initial Experience”.  Proceedings of the 27th International Congress and Exhibition, Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS), Heidelberg, Germany, 26-29 June, 2013.

  • O. Ho, N. R. Saber, D. Stephens, A. Clausen, J. Drake, C. Forrest, J. Phillips.  “Comparing the Use of 3-D Photogrammetry and Computed Tomography in Assessing Craniosynostosis”.  Proceedings of the 67th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons, Calgary, Alberta, 28 May – 1 June, 2013.

  • J. Drake, N. R. Saber, T. Looi, J. Burge, J. Phillips. “Patient-Specific Modeling for Pediatric Craniofacial Reconstruction”.  Proceedings of the AANS 74th Annual Meeting, Chatham, MA, 17-20 October 2012.

  • “Dynamic T2-mapping during magnetic resonance guided high intensity focused ultrasound ablation of bone marrow”, A. Waspe, T. Looi, C. Mougenot, J. Amaral, M. Temple, S. Sivaloganathan and J.M. Drake. Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium of Therapeutic Ultrasound, June 2012.

  • “Fabrication of bandeau templates for cranial vault reshaping in pediatric patients”, N. Saber, J. Phillips, T. Looi, PCW Kim. Proceedings of the 25th International Congress and Exhibition, Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS), Berlin, Germany, June 22-25.

  • J. Burge, N. R. Saber, D. Khechoyan, J. Drake, J. Phillips. “The Use of Prefabricated Templates in Cranial Vault Remodeling”.  Proceedings of the 26th International Congress and Exhibition, Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS), Pisa, Italy, 27-30 June 2012.

  • “Porcine Pilot Study of MRI-guided HiFU Treatment for Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage”, T. Looi, A. Waspe, C. Mougenot, M. Nadi, J. Amarl, M. Temple and J.M. Drake. Proceedings of the 12th International Symposium of Therapeutic Ultrasound, June 2012.

  • “Magnetic resonance imaging properties of multimodality anthropomorphic silicone rubber phantoms for validating surgical robots and image guided therapy systems”, C. L. Cheung, T. Looi, J.M. Drake and PCW Kim. Proceedings of SPIE, February 2012.

  • “Dynamic T2-mapping during magnetic resonance guided high intensity focused ultrasound ablation of bone marrow”, A. Waspe, T. Looi, C. Mougenot, J. Amaral, M. Temple, S. Sivaloganathan and J.M. Drake. 12th International Symposium of Therapeutic Ultrasound, June 2012.

  • “Porcine Pilot Study of MRI-guided HiFU Treatment for Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage”, T. Looi, A. Waspe, C. Mougenot, M. Nadi, J. Amarl, M. Temple and J.M. Drake. 12th International Symposium of Therapeutic Ultrasound, June 2012.

  • N. R. Saber, J. Phillips, T. Looi, P. C. W. Kim, J. Drake.“Generation of Normative Pediatric Skull Models for Use in Cranio-Orbital Remodeling Procedures”.  Proceedings of the AANS/CNS Section on Pediatric Neurological Surgery Annual Meeting, Austin, TX, November 29 – December 2, 2011.

  • N. R. Saber, J. Phillips, T. Looi, P. C. W. Kim. “Fabrication of Bandeau Templates for Cranial Vault Reshaping in Pediatric Patients”.  Proceedings of the 25th International Congress and Exhibition, Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS), Berlin, Germany, 22-25 June 2011.

  •  “Development of a unique sustainable paradigm in translational research involving pediatric surgical technical development: Center for Image-Guided Innovation and Therapeutic Intervention (CIGITI)”, C. Oliveira, S. Himidan, T. Zhang H. Piper, T. Looi, PCW Kim. 23rd International Symposium on Paediatric Surgical Research, September 2010.

 

Theses

  • S. Iyer, "An Automated System For Vision Guided Suturing", M.S. thesis, IBBME, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, 2012.

 

Media Coverage

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© 2019 by CIGITI. All rights reserved.

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