Mahdi Tavakoli’s Post

This year’s Alberta Alberta Robotics & Intelligent Systems Expo (#Alberta #RISE 2024) is shaping up to be very exciting, with keynote talks, 80 accepted contributions (a mix of oral and poster presentations), tours of 12 robotics-related labs at the University of Alberta, five technical workshops, and a number of panels and roundtables, in addition to the exhibition hall featuring industry displays. You can register here: https://lnkd.in/gdGv8KBQ. Registration will include all conference activities, as well as the coffee breaks, lunches, and the banquet. Undergraduate students can receive a discount on their fee (first come, first served). For that, please follow the link to Trainee Attendance Awards on the website. Alberta RISE 2024 will be held on Nov. 12-13, 2024, at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta. #robotics #AI

I'm pleased to share my recent interview with Lab Manager magazine, where we had the opportunity to discuss innovations in #robotics and #telerobotics and how they are helping to shape a proactive healthcare model. We covered things from advancements in #healthcare #robotics to the impact of remote technology on improving patient care. Special thanks to Ajay Peter Manuel for leading this conversation and talking about the research in the Telerobotic and Biorobotic Systems Group (https://lnkd.in/gsDUTvax) at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta @UAlberta. You can read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/gYYu56hy.

I’m excited to share the acceptance of our latest paper, "Hands Collaboration Evaluation for #Surgical #Skills #Assessment: An Information Theoretical Approach," in IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (#IEEE #TMRB) This research introduces a novel method for assessing the quality of hand coordination in robotic surgery, which is crucial for precise surgical outcomes. Our findings show that by using #information #theory to measure hands' collaboration, we can improve skill assessments, paving the way for advanced autonomous surgeries with better accuracy and model robustness. https://lnkd.in/gEzwuZGe Abed Soleymani, Ph.D., Mahdi Tavakoli, Farzad Aghazadeh Shabestari, Yafei Ou, Hossein Rouhani, Bin Zheng, Xingyu Li, Hands Collaboration Evaluation for Surgical Skills Assessment: An Information Theoretical Approach, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 2024.

Excited to share that the Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta has launched a novel "Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering Coop" undergraduate program with a strong focus on robotics and AI! This 5-year program, the first of its kind in the Prairie provinces, integrates a mix of #electrical, #computer, and #mechanical #engineering with 20 months of industry co-op placement, preparing students to lead in the high-demand fields of #robotics, #mechatronics, #AI, #automation, and smart systems. A heartfelt thank you to everyone at the University of Alberta who developed this groundbreaking program, including Associate Dean of Engineering Pierre Mertiny, Associate Deans of Undergraduate Studies David Nobes and Ashwin Iyer, Chairs John Doucette and Yunwei Ryan Li, Dean of Engineering Dr. Simaan AbouRizk, Vice-Dean Ivan Fair, and all the faculty and staff involved.

🏆 Alberta RISE 2024 Competition Announcement 🏆 The Alberta Robotics & Intelligent Systems Expo (Alberta RISE 2024) is announcing a competition for teams of undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral fellows! This is your chance to showcase your mechanical design skills, collaborate with peers, and win an award at the conference! 🔧 Challenge: Design a multi-part automatic dispenser for collaborative robots (cobots) to streamline industrial pick-and-place tasks. 🗓 Important Dates: Expression of Interest Deadline: September 25, 2024 Solution Submission Deadline: October 10, 2024 🎟 Special Discounts for Competing Teams: 75% off registration for undergrads 50% off for grad students and PDFs 📩 For more info, contact the competition chairs, Dr. Bita Fallahi, PhD, P.Eng. and Dr. Xingyu Li, or visit the conference website: https://lnkd.in/gdGv8KBQ. 🏆 Competition Details: https://lnkd.in/dzSf9MDz

🌟 A Huge Thank You to BioRob 2024 Organizers! 🌟 Sep 1-4, 2024 saw the 10th IEEE RAS EMBS International Conference on #Biomedical #Robotics and #Biomechatronics being held in #Heidelberg, Germany (https://lnkd.in/g7deDesb). Special thanks to all the #BioRob2024 participants, contributors, and organizers, especially the General Chair, Prof. Lorenzo Masia, for creating an unforgettable conference experience for us! The plenary and keynote talks were absolutely fantastic, the workshops were insightful, and the papers and posters showcased great research. And let’s not forget the social event on the boat travelling past castles and the charming banks of the Neckar Valley—it was such a fun and memorable time! 🚨 Exciting News! 🚨 BioRob 2026 is coming to #Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! Edmonton and Alberta aren’t just thriving hubs of research and innovation such as the University of Alberta—they are also home to some of the most breathtaking natural beauty in the world! I invite you to join us in 2026 and encourage you to make the most of your visit by exploring nearby national parks like #Jasper and #Banff. Why not supplement your conference trip with a vacation and take in the stunning landscapes?! On behalf of the organizing committee, we can’t wait to host you in Edmonton for #BioRob2026!

📢 Updates about Alberta RISE 2024! The abstract submission deadline for the Alberta Robotics & Intelligent Systems Expo (#Alberta #RISE 2024) has been extended to September 10, 2024! This gives everyone extra time to prepare and submit 1-page abstracts. That’s not all! 🎉 We are offering Trainee Attendance Awards to the first 100 accepted abstracts (authored by students or postdocs). These awards will reduce the registration fee by 50% ($125 value) for eligible participants. See https://lnkd.in/g9Tm9UBp. Additionally, we have 75% registration fee discounts for a limited number of undergraduate students wishing to attend—whether they submit an abstract or not! See https://lnkd.in/g9Tm9UBp. If you're passionate about #robotics, #AI, or both, don't miss this incredible opportunity to engage with the community and showcase your work. We will be giving more awards during the conference for the best oral and poster presentations, too! 👉 Register and submit your 1-page abstract today: https://lnkd.in/gdGv8KBQ See you at the University of Alberta on November 12–13, 2024 for two days packed with inspiring talks, poster presentations, workshops, demos, competitions, and more! Hossein Rouhani, F. Albert Liu, Qipei (Gavin) Mei, PhD, PEng, LEED AP, Ehsan Hashemi, Jun Jin, Milad Nazarahari, M. Ali Nasseri, Dieter Büchler, Bin Zheng, Ali Golabchi, Rafiq Ahmad, Ph.D, P.Eng., Ahmed Shehata, Xingyu Li, Bita Fallahi, PhD, P.Eng., Maryam Mirzaei, Maral Aminpour, Sadra Zargarzadeh Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), iSMART Institute, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta @UAlberta, Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta

I am excited to share that Kirill Makhachev, who was jointly supervised by Dr. Jay Carriere (University of Calgary) and me, has successfully defended his MSc in Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta @UAlberta. Kirill's thesis explored the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence in percutaneous #breast #surgeries to automate all non-invasive surgical tasks and improve the surgeon's situational awareness. This technology can help accelerate the adoption of #robotics and #AI in breast cancer surgeries and enhance the training of novice surgeons, as there is lower mental demand and higher repeatability of movements for them when using our system. The technology can also enhance the prospects of #brachytherapy as a preferred method for breast radiotherapy compared to external beam radiation. Kirill demonstrated great engineering expertise in robot #control #system design, end-to-end system development, and physical human-robot interaction (#pHRI).   I would like to extend my gratitude to our Alberta Health Services clinical collaborators, Drs. Nawaid Usmani (Cross Cancer Institute) and Dr. Siraj Hussain (Tom Baker Cancer Centre), and to Kirill's examination committee, Dr. Manisha Gupta and Dr. Kumaradevan Punithakumar.