Samuel B. Kesner

About

Samuel B. Kesner is a pioneering robotics and biomedical engineering researcher whose work sits at the intersection of surgical robotics, medical device design, and autonomous systems. He is best known for his groundbreaking contributions to robotic cardiac catheter technology, developing systems capable of compensating for the rapid, complex motion of a beating heart using 3D ultrasound image guidance — a challenge that had long stymied the field. His 2011 paper on position control of motion-compensating cardiac catheters has garnered 148 citations, while his work on combining ultrasound guidance with force control for cardiac ablation has attracted 131 citations, reflecting the field's recognition of these advances as transformative. Beyond cardiac robotics, Kesner has made notable contributions to force sensor design, demonstrating how 3D printing enables rapid prototyping of customized, low-cost sensors for robotic and surgical applications — work cited over 120 times. His research also spans minimally invasive surgical instrumentation, including pop-up MEMS-based graspers and millimeter-scale multi-axis force sensors. Earlier in his career, he explored small-scale mobile robotics for search-and-rescue operations and extraterrestrial cave exploration. Across these diverse domains, Kesner's work is unified by a drive to engineer precise, practical tools that extend human capability in high-stakes environments.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Position Control of Motion Compensation Cardiac Catheters

   148 citations · 2011
2. 2
   Robotic catheter cardiac ablation combining ultrasound guidance and force control

   131 citations · 2014
3. 3
   Design Principles for Rapid Prototyping Forces Sensors Using 3-D Printing

   122 citations · 2011
4. 4
   Hopping mobility concept for search and rescue robots

   70 citations · 2008
5. 5
   Force control of flexible catheter robots for beating heart surgery

   67 citations · 2011
6. 6
   Design and control of motion compensation cardiac catheters

   48 citations · 2010
7. 7
   Mobility and Power Feasibility of a Microbot Team System for Extraterrestrial Cave Exploration

   40 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Force-sensing surgical grasper enabled by pop-up book MEMS

   36 citations · 2013
9. 9
   A monolithic approach to fabricating low-cost, millimeter-scale multi-axis force sensors for minimally-invasive surgery

   29 citations · 2014
10. 10
    Ultrasound Servoing of Catheters for Beating Heart Valve Repair

    22 citations · 2010

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links