David B. Comber
Papers
10
Total Citations
184
H-Index
6
About
David B. Comber is a biomedical robotics engineer whose research sits at the intersection of medical robotics, pneumatic actuation, and MRI-guided surgical intervention. His work has focused primarily on designing and controlling MR-compatible robotic systems that enable minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures within the challenging confines of high-field MRI scanners — an environment that renders conventional electromagnetic actuators unusable. Comber's most influential contribution, garnering 67 citations, introduced a pneumatic needle driver featuring innovative bellows-based actuators capable of pure rotation and translation, advancing the precision with which surgeons can manipulate instruments during live MRI scanning. His broader portfolio of MR-compatible pneumatic robots and active cannula systems — collectively accumulating over 180 citations — has helped establish foundational design principles for fluid-powered surgical devices. Particularly notable is his translational work applying concentric tube robots to epilepsy treatment through MRI-guided thermal ablation, offering safer, curvilinear alternatives to traditional linear stereotactic approaches for patients unresponsive to medication. By tackling both the engineering fundamentals — including sliding mode control and precision pneumatic actuation — and clinically motivated applications such as hippocampotomy and laser-induced thermal therapy, Comber has made meaningful contributions toward safer, image-guided, minimally invasive neurosurgery.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 4Design and Precision Control of an MR-Compatible Flexible Fluidic Actuator13 citations · 2013
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- 6Precision Pneumatic Robot for MRI-Guided Neurosurgery10 citations · 2012
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- 9MRI–Compatible Fluid-Powered Medical Devices3 citations · 2013
- 10Open-Loop Tip Accuracy of an MRI-Compatible Active Cannula Robot3 citations · 2013