Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Inko Elgezua is a leading researcher in medical robotics, specializing in needle insertion systems for minimally invasive percutaneous treatments and single-port access surgery. Her work addresses critical challenges in cancer diagnosis and therapy, where precise needle placement is essential but limited by poor visibility and tissue deformation. Elgezua’s major contributions include comprehensive surveys on needle insertion robots, highlighting open challenges for real surgical application, and pioneering methods for event classification during needle insertion based on force pattern analysis. Her research on estimating needle-tissue interaction using nonlinear elastic moduli and friction patterns has advanced the understanding of tissue behavior, improving the accuracy of robotic assistance. Notably, her design of an insertable surgical robot with multi-level endoscopic control for Single Port Access Surgery (SPS) demonstrates innovation in enhancing dexterity and operability in confined spaces. With her most-cited paper garnering 38 citations, Elgezua’s work has laid foundational knowledge for developing safer, more effective robotic tools in percutaneous treatments, directly impacting patient outcomes by reducing procedural errors and surgical trauma. Her achievements position her as a key contributor to the evolution of intelligent surgical robotics.