Publications

Peer Reviewed Conference Papers

1. Bajo, A., Simaan, N., “Finding Lost Wrenches: Using Continuum Robots for Contact Detection and Estimation of Contact Location,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA’2010), pp. 3666-3673.
2. Ding, J., Xu, K., Goldman, R., Allen, P., Fowler, D., Simaan, N., “Design, Simulation and Evaluation of Kinematic Alternatives for Insertable Robotic Effectors Platforms in Single Port Access Surgery”, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA’2010), Anchorage AK, pp. 1053-1058, 2010.
3. Xu, K., Goldman, R., Ding, J., Allen, P., Fowler, D., Simaan, N., “System Design of an Insertable Robotic Effector Platform for Single Port Access (SPA) Surgery,”2009 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS’2009), pp. 5546-5552, 2009.
4. Chen, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, H., Garty, G., Xu, Y., Lyulko, O., Turner, H., Randers-Pehrson, G., Simaan, N., Yao, L., Brenner, D., “Rabit – Rapid Automated Biodosimetry Tool For High Throughput Radiological Triage,” in ASME 2009 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference IDETC/CIE 2009, 2009.
5. Zhang, J., Bhattacharyya, S., Simaan, N., “Model and Parameter Identification of Friction During Robotic Insertion of Cochlear-Implant Electrode Arrays,” in IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA’2009), pp. 3859-3864, 2009.
6. Hamid, S., Simaan, N., “Design and Synthesis of Wire-Actuated Universal-Joint Wrists for Surgical Applications,” in IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA’09), pp. 1807-1813, 2009.
7. Zhang, J., Wei, W., Roland, J., Manolidis, S., Simaan, N., “Path Planning and Workspace Determination for Robot-Assisted Insertion of Steerable Electrode Arrays for Cochlear Implant Surgery,” MICCAI’2008, the 11th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention , PMID: 18982665, pp. 692-700, 2008.
8. Salerno, A., Zhang, J., Bhatla, A., , Lyulko, O. V., Nie, J., Dutta, A., Garty, G., Simaan, N., Randers-Pehrson, G., Yao Y-L., Brenner, D. J., “Design Considerations for a Minimally Invasive High-Throughput Automation System for Radiation Biodosimetry,” IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, pp. 846-852, 2007.
9. Wei, W., Goldman, R., Simaan, N., Fine, H., Chang, S., "Design and Theoretical Evaluation of Micro-Surgical Manipulators for Orbital Manipulation and Intraocular Dexterity," Accepted for ICRA'2007 - International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2007.
10. Kapoor, A., Xu, K., Wei, W., Simaan, N., Taylor, R., “Telemanipulation of Snake-Like Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the upper Airway”, MICCAI’2006 (9th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention), presented at the workshop on medical robotics, 2006.
11. Zhang, J., Xu, K., Simaan, N., “A Pilot Study of Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Surgery Using Steerable Electrode Arrays,” MICCAI’ 2006 International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, Copenhagen, Sweden, PMID: 17354871, pp. 33-40, 2006. (won best student paper award for clinical application)
12. Xu, K., Wei, W., Simaan, N., “Actuation Compensation for Snake-like Robots with Redundant Remote Actuation,” International Conference on Robotics and Automation, Florida, pp. 4148-4154, 2006.
13. Wei, W., Ku, K., Simaan, N. “A Compact Two-Armed Slave Manipulator for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Throat,” The first IEEE/RAS-EMB International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BIOROB’2006), Pisa, Italy, pp. 287-292, 2006.
14. Kapoor A., Simaan N., Taylor R., "Suturing in Confined Spaces: Constrained Motion Control of a Hybrid 8-DoF Robot", International Conference on Advanced Robotics (ICAR'2005), pp. 452-459, 2005.
15. Simaan N., "Snake-Like Units Using Flexible Backbones and Actuation Redundancy for Enhanced Minaturization," ICRA'2005, International Conference on Robotics & Automation, Barcelona - Spain, pp. 3023-3028, 2005.
16. Kapoor, A., Simaan, N., Kazanzides, P., “A System for Speed and Torque Control of DC Motors with Application to Small Snake Robots," IEEE Conference on Mechatronics & Robotics (MECHROB’ 2004), Aachen, Germany, September 13-15, 2004.
17. Simaan, N., Russell H. Taylor, Paul Flint, “High Dexterity Snake-like Robotic Slaves for Minimally Invasive Telesurgery of the Upper Airway,” MICCAI 2004 - the 7th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, Saint Malo, France, September 26-30, 2004.
18. Simaan, N., Russell H. Taylor, Paul Flint, "A Dexterous System for Laryngeal Surgery: Multi-Backbone Bending Snake-like Slaves for Teleoperated Dextrous Surgical Tool Manipulation," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, pp. 351-357, 2004.
19. Simaan, N., and Shoham, “Stiffness Synthesis of a Variable Geometry Planar Robot," the 8th International Symposium on Advances in Robot Kinematics (ARK 2002). Included in Advances In Robot Kinermatics: Theory and applications, J. Lenarcic and F. Thomas, Eds., Kluwer Academic, 2002.
20. Simaan, N., and Shoham, M., "Remarks on Hidden Lines in Parallel Robots," 7th International Symposium on Advances in Robot Kinematics (ARK 2000), Piran-Portoroz, Slovenia, June 26-30, 2000. (conference presentation) Simaan, N., Shoham, M., "Robot Construction for Surgical Applications," The First IFAC Conference on Mechatronic Systems, September 18-20, 2000, Darmstadt, Germany.
21. Simaan, N., and Shoham, M., "Robot Construction for Surgical Applications," Second Israeli Symposium on Computer-Aided Surgery, Medical Robotics, and Medical Imaging (ISRACAS'99), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, May 6, 1999.
22. Shoham, M., Goldberger, S., Roffman, M., and Simaan, N., "Robot Construction for Surgery," First Israeli Symposium on Computer-Aided Surgery, Medical Robotics, and Medical Imaging (ISRACAS'98), Technion City, Haifa, Israel, May 6, 1998.
23. Simaan, N., Glozman, D., Shoham, M., “Design Considerations of New Six Degrees-Of-Freedom Parallel Robots,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 1998, Vol. 2, pp. 1327-1333.

Theses and Journal Papers

1. Fine, H., Wei, W., Simaan, N., “Could Robots Ever Do Retina Surgery? ,” Review of Ophthalmology, Vol. 17, No. 5,  Issue: 5/1/2010.
2. Zhang, J., "Design of Steerable Electrode Arrays and Optimal Insertion Path Planning for Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Surgeries", Ph.D. Dissertation, N. Simaan (advisor), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, April 2010. (graduated with distinction)
3. Wei, W., Design and Implementation of High-Precision Hybrid Robotic Systems with Application for Ophthalmic Micro-Surgery, Ph.D. Dissertation, N. Simaan (advisor), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, April 2010. (graduated with distinction).
4. Garty, G., Turner, H.C. , Chen, ., Zhang, J., Wang, H., Bertucci, A., Brengues, M., Randers-Pehrson, G., Simaan, N., Yao, Y. L., Zenhausern, F., Brenner, D.J. “Sample collection for high throughput radiation biodosimetry,” submitted for review to the AMA journal on Disaster Medicine & Public Health Preparedness, November 2009.
5. Fine, H., Wei, W., Goldman, R., Popplewell, C., Simaan, N., “Design, Performance, and Potential Applications of a Novel Dual-Arm Robot for Ophthalmic Surgery,” submitted to Archives of Opthalmology, November, 2009
6. Chen, Y., Zhang, J., Wang, H., Garty, G., Xu, Y., Lyulko, O., Turner, H., Randers-Pehrson, G., Simaan, N., Yao, L., Brenner, D., “Development of a Robotically-based Automated Biodosimetry Tool for High-throughput Radiological Triage,” accepted in International Journal of Biomechatronics and Biomedical Robotics (IJBBR), October 2009.
7. Zhang, J., Wei, W., Ding. J., Rolant, T.J., Manolidis, S., Simaan, N., “Inroads towards Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Surgery using Steerable Electrode Arrays”, accepted in Otology & Neurology special issue on Cochlear Implants, 2009.
8. Wei, W., Popplewell, C., Fine, H., Chang, S., Simaan, N., “Enabling Technology for Micro-Vascular Stenting in Ophthalmic Surgery,” accepted for publication to ASME Journal of Medical Devices (JMED), accepted in January 2010.
9. Xu, K., Design, "Modeling and Analysis of Continuum Robots as Surgical Assistants with Intrinsic Sensory Capabilities," Ph.D. Dissertation, N. Simaan (advisor), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, September 2009. (graduated with distinction).
10. Xu, K., Simaan, N., “Intrinsic Wrench Estimation and its Performance Index for Multi Segment Continuum Robots,” submitted to IEEE Transactions on Robotics (TRO), April 2009.
11. Xu, K., Simaan, N., “Analytic Formulation for Kinematics, Statics and Shape Restoration of Multi-Backbone Continuum Robots via Elliptic Integrals,”ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics (JMR),Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 011006-1 to 011006-13, 2010.
12. Wei, W., Simaan N., “Design of Planar Parallel Robots with Preloaded Flexures for Guaranteed Backlash Prevention,”ASME Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics (JMR), Vol. 2, No. 1, pp.  011012-1 to 011012-10, 2010.
13. Guy Garty; Youhua Chen; Alessio Salerno; Helen Turner; Jian Zhang; Oleksandra V Lyulko; Yanping Xu; Hongliang Wang; Nabil Simaan; Gerhard Randers-Pehrson; Lawrence Yao; Sally A Amundson; David J Brenner “The RABiT: A Rapid Automated Biodosimetry Tool for radiological triage,” Health Physics Journal, PMID: 20065685, Vol. 98, No. 2, pp.209-17, 2010.
14. Simaan, N., Xu, K., Wei Wei, Kapoor, A., Kazanzides, P., Flint, P., Taylor, R., “Design and Integration of a Telerobotic System for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Throat,” International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR) special issue on medical robotics, (First published online on published online on May 27th through IJRR OnlineFirst), DOI: 10.1177/0278364908104278, NIHMS114080, Vol. 28, No. 9, pp. 1134-1153, 2009.
15. Zhang, J., Wei, W., Roland, J., Manolidis, S., Simaan, N., “Optimal Path Planning for Robotic Insertion of Steerable Electrode Arrays in Cochlear Implant Surgery”, in ASME Journal on Medical Devices, Vol 3., No. 1, pp. 011001, 2009
16. Wei, W., Goldman, R., Fine, H., Chang, S., Simaan, N., “Modeling and Performance Evaluation of Hybrid Multi-Arm Robots Operating on Hollow Suspended Organs,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol 25, No. 1, pp. 147-157, 2009.
17. Alexander T. Hillel, Ankur Kapoor, Nabil Simaan, Russell H. Taylor and Paul Flint, " Applications of Robotics for Laryngeal Surgery," Laryngeal Cancer -Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America, Nasir Bhatti & Ralph P. Tufano Eds., PMID: 18570959, Volume 41, Issue 4, Pages 781-791, August 2008.
18. Xu, K., Simaan, N., “An Investigation of the Intrinsic Force Sensing of Continuum Robots,” IEEE Transactions on Robotics, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 576-587, 2008.
19. Simaan, N., Shoham, M., "Stiffness Synthesis of a Variable Geometry Six Degrees-of-Freedom Double Planar Parallel Robot," International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR), Vol. 22, No. 9, pp. 757 – 775, September 2003.
20. Simaan, N., and Shoham, “Geometric Interpretation of the Derivatives of Parallel Robot's Jacobian Matrix with Application to Stiffness Control" ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol 125, pp. 33-42., 2003.
21. Simaan, N., Shoham, M., "Singularity Analysis of a Class of Composite Serial In-Parallel Robots," IEEE transactions on Robotics and Automation, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 301-311, June 2001.
22. Simaan, N., Task-Based Design and Synthesis of Variable Geometry Parallel Robots, Ph.D. dissertation, Technion, Israel, 2002.
23. Simaan, N., Analysis and Synthesis of Parallel Robots for Medical Applications, Master Thesis, Technion, Israel, 1999.

Patents

1. Nabil Simaan, Kai Xu, Roger Goldman, Peter Allen, Dennis Fowler, “Systems, Devices, and Methods for Providing insertable Robotic Sensory and Manipulation Platforms for Single Port Surgery, U.S. 61/103,415, October 2008.
2. Nabil Simaan, Kai Xu, “System and Method for Intrinsic Force Sensing and its Performance Index of Multi-Segment Robots,” U.S. 61/147,275, January 2009.
3. Nabil Simaan, Kai Xu, “Systems and Methods for Force Sensing in a Robot” PCT/US09/32068, January 2009.
4. Nabil Simaan, Jian Zhang, John T. Roland, Spiros Manolidis, “Systems and Methods For Inserting Steerable Arrays Into Anatomical Structures,” PCT/US09/039542, April 2009.
5. Nabil Simaan, Wei Wei, Howard Fine, Stanley Chang, “SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS FOR ROBOT-ASSISTED MICRO-SURGICAL STENTING,” US. Patent application filed to benefit Provisional patent application U.S. 61/046,178, January 2009.
6. Nabil Simaan, Wei Wei, Roger Goldman, Howard Fine, Stanley Chang, “Systems, Devices, And Methods for Surgery On A Hollow Anatomically Suspended Organ,” International Patent WO/2008/036304, 2007.
7. Jian Zhang, Alessio Salerno, Nabil Simaan, Y. Lawrence Yao, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Guy Garty, Aparajita Dutta, David J. Brenner, “Systems And Methods For Robotic Transport”, US patent application # 11/895,485, 2007.
8. Guy Garty, David J. Brenner, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Y. Lawrence Yao, Nabil Simaan, Alessio Salerno, Anubha Bhatla, Jian Zhang, Oleksandra V. Lyulko, Aparajita Dutta, “Systems And Methods For High-Throughput Radiation Biodosimetry” US patent application #11/895,417, 2007.
9. Guy Garty, David J. Brenner, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Y. Lawrence Yao, Nabil Simaan, Alessio Salerno, Anubha Bhatla, US patent application #11/895,517, “Systems And Methods For Etching Materials, 2007.
10. Anubha Bhatla, Alessio Salerno, Nabil Simaan, Y. Lawrence Yao, Gerhard Randers-Pehrson, Guy Y. Garty, Aparajita Dutta, David J. Brenner, “Systems And Methods For Cutting Materials”, US patent application #11/895,557, 2007.
11. Simaan, N., Wei W., Goldman, R., Fine, H., Chang, S., A Dual-Arm Workstation for Intraocular Dexterity-Enhanced Microsurgery of the Eye and In-Organ Dexterity Enhancement and Manipulation of Suspended Organs, Columbia University provisional patent #19240.TBDUS1, 2006.
12. Simaan, N., Manolidis, S., “Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Insertion and Active-Bending Electrode Arrays”, Provisional filed with Columbia University Licensing, August 2005.
13. Simaan, N., Taylor, R., Handa, J., A System for Macro-Micro Distal Dexterity in Microsurgery of the Eye,” Johns Hopkins Provisional Patent (JHU Ref# 4456), 2005.
14. Simaan, N., Taylor, R., Flint, P., Chirikjian, G., “Devices, Systems and Methods for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Throat and Other Portions of Mammalian Body”, US patent 20050059960, May 21, 2004.
15. Simaan, N., Taylor, R., Flint, P., Chirikjian, G., “Devices, Systems and Methods for Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Throat and Other Portions of Mammalian Body”, World patent WO/2005/009482 , May 21, 2004.
16. Simaan, N., Taylor, R., Flint, P., Chirikjian, G., Stein, D., “Minimally Invasive Surgical Assistance System for Throat Surgery,” US provisional patent application. Johns Hopkins University Licensing and Technology Development, Reference No. DM-4254., May 2003.

Invited Book Chapters, Abstracts, and Workshop Papers

1. Simaan, N., Zhang, J., Roland, Manolidis, S., “Steerable Continuum Robot Design for Cochlear Implant Surgery”, accepted for publication in a workshop titled Snakes, Worms and Catheters: Continuum and Serpentine Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 3, 2010.
2. Wei, W., Fine, H., Chang, S., Simaan, N., “A Pilot Study on Using a Flexible Cannula Robot for Micro-Vascular Stenting,” accepted for publication in a workshop titled Snakes, Worms and Catheters: Continuum and Serpentine Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, May 3, 2010.
3. Simaan, N., Zhang, J., Roland, Manolidis, S., "Robotic Study Shows that Insertion Speed Affects Cochlear Implant Electrode Insertion Forces,” Submitted to the 11th International Conference on Cochlear Implants and other Implantable Auditory Technologies,” Stockholm, Sweden, June 30-July 3rd, 2010.
4. Simaan, N., Manolidis, S., Roland, T-J. “Inroads towards a robotically inserted CI electrode development”, 9th European Symposium of Paediatric Cochlear Implantation, 2009.
5. Cheung, M.-Yi, Zhang, J., Simaan, N., “Mathematical Modeling and Characterization of Coiling Perimodiolar Cochlear Electrode Arrays,” accepted for a poster and podium presentation in Columbia Student Research Symposium, 2010.
6. Zhang, J., Manolidis, S., Roland, T. J., Simaan, N., “Design of Steerable Electrode Arrays and Optimal Insertion Path Planning for Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Surgery”, accepted for poster presentation in Columbia Student Research Symposium, 2010.
7. Fine, H., Wei, W., Chang, S., Simaan, N., “A novel dual-arm dexterous ophthalmic microsurgical robot: applications for retinal vascular cannulation and stent deployment” . American Society of Retinal Specialists, Retina Congress 2009, New York, NY, Sept 4-Oct 4, 2009.
8. Simaan, N., Manolidis, S., Roland, T-J. “Inroads towards a robotically inserted CI electrode development”, 9th European Symposium of Paediatric Cochlear Implantation, 2009.
9. Roland, T-J., Zhang, J., Manolidis, S., Simaan, N., “Progress Towards A Robotically Inserted Cochlear Implant Electrode”, 12th Symposium on Cochlear Implants in Children, Seattle, 2009.
10. Reichert, S., Zhang, J., Xu, K., Simaan, N., Manolidis, S., "Robotic insertion of cochlear implant electrodes to minimize cochlear trauma", 6th European Congress of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery., Vienna, Austria, Jun. 2007.
11. Garty, G., Pehrson, G.R, Simaan, N., Salerno, A., Dutta, A., Nie, J., Schettino, G., Lyulko, O.V., Zhang, J., Bhathala, A., Yao, Y.L., Brenner, D.J., “Development of an ultrahigh-throughput robotically-based biodosimetry workstation using in-situ assays”, 13th International Congress of Radiation Research, San Francisco, California, Jul. 2007.
12. Manolidis, S., Zhang J., Xu K., Roland T., Simaan N. “Robotic insertion of cochlear implant electrodes to minimize cochlear Trauma”, Abstract in 6th European Congress of Oto – Rhino – Laryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. July 2nd, 2007,
13. Vienna, Austria. Simaan, N., Taylor, R., Hillel, A., Flint, P., “Minimally Invasive Surgery of the Upper Airways: Addressing the Challenges of Dexterity Enhancement in Confined Spaces” Book chapter in Surgical Robotics - History, Present and Future Applications, Russell Faust (Ed.), Nova Science Publishing, 2007.