Abstract: AI enabled intelligent diagnostics, embedded sensory perception and robotic technology coupled with systems engineering concepts for connected systems can be used in planning, registration, tracking and navigation, predictive analysis, real-time control and execution of several medical applications. AI-based intelligent robotics and CPS applications could offer the promise of sustainable, safe and affordable healthcare while reducing unpredictable human errors. This talk will give an overview of our work on – robotics and AI for intelligent diagnostics, image analyses, and therapy/surgery, exemplifying our work on breast/liver cancers.
At Plaksha’s Centre for Equitable and Personalized Health (CEPH), we are attempting to devise a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach for a complete cycle of management of cancers including screening, diagnostics, therapeutics, drug-delivery and surgery of breast cancers using dedicated Medtech approaches. These systems include embedded bio-mechatronic systems comprising multi-modal imaging, automated screening techniques for early diagnosis, pre-and intra-operative planning platforms as well as customized AI enabled robotic platforms (hard/soft and hybrid configurations), biomimetic approaches to assist medical/surgical interventions.
Biomechatronics is an interdisciplinary area that encompasses biomedical devices based upon principles of electromechanical systems, physiological mechatronics, robotics, control engineering, bio-mechanics, human factors, man-machine interaction, rehabilitation medicine and others. Medical robotic systems encompass novel intelligent diagnostic techniques, smart sensors, minimally invasive and non-invasive robotic & AI techniques for several medical/surgical applications. These approaches have been used at our group for medical/surgical applications as well as infrastructural systems’ healthcare - in railways, aerospace, agricultural and sports applications.

Biography: Sunita CHAUHAN (PhD, DIC, Medical Robotics, Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, UK -1999), held the position of Director of the Robotics and Mechatronics Eng. (2012-2020) and Professor at the Mechanical and Aerospace department at Monash University, Australia. Thereafter, post COVID circumstances, she joined Plaksha University (India) in 2022 as Professor of Robotics and CPS and founding director of the Centre for Equitable and Personalized Healthcare while serving as Professor (adj.) at the Faculty of Eng., Monash University. She is the Chief Investigator of the BmRAS (Bio- mechatronics, Robotics & Automated Systems) research group. Prior to joining Monash in Nov. 2012, she worked at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (1999-2012) Focus-group lead for Biomedical & Biorobotics (Robotic Systems addressing aspects of clinical activity: representing three research labs) of the Intelligent Devices and Systems (IDEAS) cluster of RRC, NTU, Newcastle University (UK) and at several industrial R&D and scientific positions. Her current research interests include Medical/Surgical robotics comprising state-of-the-art surgical assist technologies, VR/AR-based CAS/CIS systems including safety driven design, development (subtractive and additive manufacturing), advanced control strategies for real-time planning/monitoring, deployment and control of novel medical/surgical robotic systems for minimally invasive and non-invasive surgery. Her work on smart medical devices involve bio-mechatronic approaches, digital healthcare bio-mechanics of both hard and soft deformable tissues, robotic exoskeletons for rehabilitation, wearables, intern-replacement, surgical training and automated assessment using AI based deep-learning methodologies as well as extending these techniques for industrial and field robotics in infrastructural healthcare for inspection and proactive maintenance (Railways, Aerospace, Defence, Agriculture, Buildings, Solar farms etc); Sports Eng.- high performance swimming, cycling, archery etc.
Professor Chauhan is a member of several prestigious professional organizations, such as senior member-IEEE and its Robotics & Automation Society, life member-IACAS, member of UIA and ISTU & SPIE (past). She actively participates as invited/key-note speaker and spec. panelist at various Intl’ conferences and many scientific and public events, invited to hold special conference sessions, general chair, expert Intl’ review panel of FP7 and Horizon2020, ESF European grants. She received several fellowships and awards with professional attachments at prestigious institutions worldwide and serves on the Board of Directors of Ultrasound Industries Association (USA), Medical Advisory Board of Global Cancer Technologies (USA); Global education council board member of a couple of Universities, Editorial board of Int. J. of Bio-mechatronics and Robotics, Editorial Board of Recent Patents on Medical Imaging, Vice Chair–WIE, SG (past), Geographic Coordinator (Asia)–IIWE, France (past), and various Intl’ Science and Engineering competitions’ panels. Her work caught Intl’ media attention several times and published in leading newspapers and scientific magazines. She has supervised and led national and internationally funded research consortiums and is a sole/principal inventor of several patents granted/pending related to her research.