Robohub.org
ep.

319

podcast
 

Micro-scale Surgical Robots with Eric Diller


by
23 September 2020



share this:



In this episode, Audrow Nash interviews Eric Diller, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, on wireless micro-scale robots that could eventually be used in human surgery.  Diller speaks about the design, control, and manufacture of micro-scale surgical robotic devices, as well as when we might see this technology in the operating room.

Eric Diller

Dr. Diller received his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, and Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University in 2013. His work is enabling a new approach to non-invasive medical procedures, micro-factories and scientific tools. He does this by shrinking the mechanical and electrical components of robots to centimeter, millimeter or even micrometer size. He uses magnetic fields and other smart-material actuation methods to make mobile functional devices. Dr. Diller envisions a future where drug delivery and surgery can be done in a fast, painless and focused way, and where new materials and devices can be manufactured using swarms of tiny gripping, cutting, and sensing wireless robots.

Dr. Diller has received the MIE Early Career Teaching Award, the UofT Connaught New Researcher Award, the Ontario Early Researcher Award, and the I.W. Smith Award from the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineers.

Links



tags: , , , , , ,


Audrow Nash is a Software Engineer at Open Robotics and the host of the Sense Think Act Podcast
Audrow Nash is a Software Engineer at Open Robotics and the host of the Sense Think Act Podcast





Related posts :



Vine-inspired robotic gripper gently lifts heavy and fragile objects

  23 Jan 2026
The new design could be adapted to assist the elderly, sort warehouse products, or unload heavy cargo.

Robot Talk Episode 140 – Robot balance and agility, with Amir Patel

  16 Jan 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Amir Patel from University College London about designing robots with the agility and manoeuvrability of a cheetah.

Taking humanoid soccer to the next level: An interview with RoboCup trustee Alessandra Rossi

and   14 Jan 2026
Find out more about the forthcoming changes to the RoboCup soccer leagues.

Robots to navigate hiking trails

  12 Jan 2026
Find out more about work presented at IROS 2025 on autonomous hiking trail navigation via semantic segmentation and geometric analysis.

Robot Talk Episode 139 – Advanced robot hearing, with Christine Evers

  09 Jan 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Christine Evers from University of Southampton about helping robots understand the world around them through sound.

Meet the AI-powered robotic dog ready to help with emergency response

  07 Jan 2026
Built by Texas A&M engineering students, this four-legged robot could be a powerful ally in search-and-rescue missions.

MIT engineers design an aerial microrobot that can fly as fast as a bumblebee

  31 Dec 2025
With insect-like speed and agility, the tiny robot could someday aid in search-and-rescue missions.

Robohub highlights 2025

  29 Dec 2025
We take a look back at some of the interesting blog posts, interviews and podcasts that we've published over the course of the year.



 

Robohub is supported by:




Would you like to learn how to tell impactful stories about your robot or AI system?


scicomm
training the next generation of science communicators in robotics & AI


 












©2025.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence