Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hyungkew Lee’s research lies at the critical intersection of haptics, surgical robotics, and sensor design, where he has advanced the ways surgeons can “feel” through teleoperated systems. His most influential work, “Grip force measurement of forceps with fibre Bragg grating sensors” (57 citations), tackles a fundamental challenge in robot-assisted surgery: the loss of haptic feedback. By integrating optical fiber sensors into surgical forceps, Lee enabled real-time grip force measurement, restoring a sense of touch that is essential for delicate tissue manipulation. Building on this, he pioneered tactile displays that deliver both normal and shear forces to the fingertip, as demonstrated in his 2014 paper on a balloon-based pneumatic actuator (11 citations). His earlier work on three-axis tactile feedback using PDMS pneumatic actuators (8 citations) and microfabrication techniques (4 citations) further refined the miniaturization and multi-directional force delivery needed for clinical use. Together, these contributions form a cohesive body of work that addresses a key bottleneck in surgical robotics—restoring tactile sensation to the surgeon’s fingertips. Lee’s research is foundational for anyone developing haptic interfaces for medical applications, offering practical sensor and actuator solutions that bridge the gap between human perception and robotic precision.