Janine Hoelscher

About

Janine Hoelscher is a robotics researcher whose work spans two distinct but complementary domains: medical robotics and tactile sensing for autonomous manipulation. Her early research into tactile feature extraction for object recognition — her most-cited work with 66 citations — established foundational methods for enabling robots to identify objects through touch, a capability critical for dexterous manipulation in unstructured environments. Her more recent and prolific contributions center on steerable needle robotics for minimally invasive medical procedures, particularly lung cancer biopsy. Hoelscher has advanced autonomous needle steering in living tissue (45 citations), developed backward planning algorithms for lung biopsy robots (31 citations), and created metrics and frameworks for safe, robust needle deployment — addressing the practical realities of human-robot handoff in clinical settings. Her 2023 work on bronchoscope localization under respiratory deformation tackles one of the field's most challenging problems: accurate navigation in a moving, deforming anatomy. Beyond her technical research, Hoelscher has contributed to educational robotics, investigating how physical robot programming can enhance computational thinking in undergraduate students. With over 170 cumulative citations across her portfolio, her work reflects a sustained commitment to making autonomous robotic systems safer, more capable, and more accessible — both in operating rooms and classrooms.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Evaluation of tactile feature extraction for interactive object recognition

   66 citations · 2015
2. 2
   Autonomous medical needle steering in vivo

   45 citations · 2023
3. 3
   Backward Planning for a Multi-Stage Steerable Needle Lung Robot

   31 citations · 2021
4. 4
   Landmark Based Bronchoscope Localization for Needle Insertion Under Respiratory Deformation

   10 citations · 2023
5. 5
   Utilizing Human Feedback in POMDP Execution and Specification

   6 citations · 2018
6. 6
   Design Considerations for a Steerable Needle Robot to Maximize Reachable Lung Volume

   6 citations · 2021
7. 7
   Guiding the Development of Undergraduate Educational Robotics

   4 citations · 2023
8. 8
   A Metric for Finding Robust Start Positions for Medical Steerable Needle Automation

   4 citations · 2022
9. 9
   Medical needles in the hands of AI: Advancing toward autonomous robotic navigation

   3 citations · 2025
10. 10
    Safe Start Regions for Medical Steerable Needle Automation

    3 citations · 2025

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links