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Richard H. Feins, MD
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Ron Alterovitz, PhD

Ron Alterovitz, PhD, assistant professor of computer science and head of the Computational Robotics Research Group in the UNC Department of Computer Science, has been investigating new algorithms that can enable robotic tentacles to achieve depth and precision inside the human body.

He has focused on a new surgical device – a robotic set of concentric nested tubes made of nickel titanium. The device can be deployed from the tip of a bronchoscope, allowing physicians to reach farther than ever into the lungs to diagnose abnormal growths. It can also be deployed via the nose to surgically access tumors in the brain or nearby structures in the head. The robotic device has the potential to move through the body so precisely that it can avoid anatomical obstacles and reach its target within a millimeter. Richard H. Feins, MD, of the UNC Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, has been working with Dr. Alterovitz on the project. Brent Senior, MD, Nathaniel and Sheila Harris Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology, is interested in Dr. Alterovitz’s research for its potential to reach tiny areas of the head.