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About

Shigehiro Morikawa is a pioneering figure in the field of MRI-compatible robotic systems for interventional medicine, with a focused expertise in developing novel mechanisms for precise, image-guided needle steering. His most significant contributions lie in creating robotic manipulators that operate safely within the strong magnetic fields of an MRI scanner, enabling real-time guidance for procedures like microwave thermotherapy of liver tumors. His seminal 2008 paper on an "MRI‑compatible manipulator with remote‑center‑of‑motion control" (43 citations) established a foundational approach for allowing physicians to freely select needle insertion paths while maintaining a fixed pivot point at the tumor site. Building on this, his 2006 work on a needle-guiding robot for MR-guided thermotherapy (37 citations) directly addressed the complex challenge of optimizing insertion paths intraoperatively. More recently, Morikawa has advanced the field with his innovative "Active Sheath" concept—a loop-shaped flexible mechanism for robotic needle steering (2017, 22 citations) that enables needles to navigate around delicate anatomical structures. His work on continuum robots based on closed elastic structures (2014) further demonstrates his commitment to creating flexible, MR-compatible instruments that can bend and twist to reach challenging targets. Through these contributions, Morikawa has significantly enhanced the precision and safety of minimally invasive cancer therapies.