Journal and Refereed Conference Publications

    • Britton Jordan, Daniel S. Esser, Jeonghyeon Kim, Brian Y. Cho, Robert J. Webster, III, and Alan Kuntz, "Exploring Modal Switch in Metamaterial-Based Robots", IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2024. (pdf)
    • Yosuke Mizutani, Daniel Coimbra Salomao, Alex Crane, Matthias Bentert, Pål Grønås Drange, Felix Reidl, Alan Kuntz, and Blair D. Sullivan, "Leveraging Fixed-Parameter Tractability for Robot Inspection Planning", The 16th International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR), 2024. (pdf)
    • Brian Y. Cho, Daniel S. Esser, Jordan Thompson, Bao Thach, Robert J. Webster III, and Alan Kuntz, "Accounting for Hysteresis in the Forward Kinematics of Nonlinearly-Routed Tendon-Driven Continuum Robots via a Learned Deep Decoder Network", IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), Vol. 09, Issue 11, pp. 9263-9270, 2024. (pdf) (publisher)
    • Emily McCabe, Margaret Rox, Maxwell Emerson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Inbar Fried, Mengyu Fu, Janine Hoelscher, Fabien Maldonado, Erin Gillaspie, Jason Akulian, Yueh Lee, Alan Kuntz, Ron Alterovitz, and Robert J. Webster, III, "In Vivo Demonstration of a Bevel Tip Steerable Needle with an Integrated Fluid Channel", The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, 2024. (pdf)
    • Daniel Esser, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Emily McCabe, Fabien Maldonado, Erin Gillaspie, Alan Kuntz, and Robert J. Webster, III, "A Continuum Lung Stapler Leveraging Phase Changing Metal for Dexterity and Stiffness", The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, 2024. (pdf)
    • Jordan Thompson, Brian Y. Cho, Daniel S. Brown, and Alan Kuntz, "Modeling Kinematic Uncertainty of Tendon-Driven Continuum Robots via Mixture Density Networks", International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), 2024. (pdf)
    • Zohre Karimi*, Shing-Hei Ho*, Bao Thach, Alan Kuntz, and Daniel S. Brown, "Reward Learning from Suboptimal Demonstrations with Applications in Surgical Electrocautery", International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), 2024 (*equal contribution). Best Paper - Finalist, Best Student Paper - Finalist. (pdf)
    • Bao Thach*, Tanner Watts*, Shing-Hei Ho, Tucker Hermans, and Alan Kuntz, “DefGoalNet: Contextual Goal Learning from Demonstrations For Deformable Object Manipulation,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 3145–3152, 2024 (*equal contribution). (pdf)
    • Brian Y. Cho and Alan Kuntz, “Efficient and Accurate Mapping of Subsurface Anatomy via Online Trajectory Optimization for Robot Assisted Surgery,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 15478–15484, 2024. (pdf)
    • Nooshin Seddighi, Ying-Ching Chen, Andrew S Merryweather, K Bo Foreman, Alan Kuntz, Edoardo Battaglia, Haohan Zhang, Ellen Taylor, Bob Wong, and Peter C Fino, "The Impact of Design Factors on User Behavior in a Virtual Hospital Room to Explore Fall Prevention Strategies", HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 0(0), 2024. (pdf) (publisher)
    • Daniel S. Esser, Emily M. McCabe, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Alan Kuntz, and Robert J. Webster III, “Directional Stiffness Switching via Phase Changing Metallic Spines,” IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 2024. (pdf)
    • Emily M. McCabe, Daniel S. Esser, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Alan Kuntz, and Robert J. Webster III, “Combining Thermoelectrics and Low Melting Point Alloys to Create Reconfigurable Rigid-Compliant Manipulators,” IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 2024. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Maxwell Emerson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Inbar Fried, Mengyu Fu, Janine Hoelscher, Margaret Rox, Jason Akulian, Erin A. Gillaspie, Yueh Z. Lee, Fabien Maldonado, Robert J. Webster III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Autonomous Medical Needle Steering In Vivo," Science Roboticcs, Vol. 08, Issue 82, eadf7614, 2023. (pdf) (publisher)
    • Michael Bentley, Caleb Rucker, Chakravarthy Reddy, Oren Salzman, and Alan Kuntz, "Safer Motion Planning of Steerable Needles via a Shaft-to-Tissue Force Model", Journal of Medical Robotics Research, Vol. 08, No. 01n02, 2350003, 2023. (publisher)
    • Mengyu Fu, Alan Kuntz, Oren Salzman, and Ron Alterovitz, "Asymptotically Optimal Inspection Planning via Efficient Near-Optimal Search on Sampled Roadmaps," The International Journal of Robotics Research, 2023. (publisher) (pdf)
    • Alexandra Leavitt, Ryan Lam, Nichols Crawford Taylor, Daniel S. Drew, and Alan Kuntz, "Toward a Millimeter-Scale Tendon-Driven Continuum Wrist with Integrated Gripper for Microsurgical Applications," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, pp. 61-62, 2023. (pdf)
    • Mariana E. Smith, Daniel S. Esser, Margaret Rox, Alan Kuntz, and Robert J. Webster III, "A Radial Folding Mechanism to Enable Surgical Continuum Manipulators to Fit Through Smaller Ports," International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), 2023. (pdf)
    • Adam J. Sperry, Trevor J. Schwehr, Emma K. Pinegar, Olivia B. Richards, John D. Rolston, Matthew D. Alexander, Brittany Coats, Jake J. Abbott, and Alan Kuntz, "Screw-tip Soft Magnetically Steerable Needles," IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, 2023. (pdf) (publisher)
    • Margaret Rox, Daniel S. Esser, Mariana E. Smith, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Maxwell Emerson, Fabien Maldonado, Erin A. Gillaspie, Alan Kuntz, and Robert J. Webster III, "Toward Continuum Robot Tentacles for Lung Interventions: Exploring Folding Support Disks", IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 3494-3501, 2023. (pdf) (publisher)
    • Michael Bentley, Caleb Rucker, and Alan Kuntz, "Interactive-Rate Supervisory Control for Arbitrarily-Routed Multi-Tendon Robots via Motion Planning," IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 80999-81019, 2022. 2022 IEEE Access Best Video Award (Part 1) (publisher) (website)
    • Trevor J. Schwehr, Adam J. Sperry, John D. Rolston, Matthew D. Alexander, Jake J. Abbott, and Alan Kuntz, "Toward Targeted Therapy in the Brain by Leveraging Screw-Tip Soft Magnetically Steerable Needles," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, 2022. (pdf)
    • Margaret Rox, Aidan Copinga, Robert P. Naftel, Robert J. Webster, III, and Alan Kuntz, "Optimizing Continuum Robot Tendon Routing for Minimally Invasive Brain Surgery," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, 2022. (pdf)
    • Bao Thach, Brian Y. Cho, Alan Kuntz, and Tucker Hermans, “Learning Visual Shape Control of Novel 3D Deformable Objects from Partial-View Point Clouds,” IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 8274-8281, May 2022. (arXiv) (website)
    • Yixuan Huang, Michael Bentley, Tucker Hermans, and Alan Kuntz, "Toward Learning Context-Dependent Tasks from Demonstration for Tendon-Driven Surgical Robots," International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), 2021. Best Paper - Finalist, Best Student Paper - Finalist (pdf) (arXiv)
    • Brian Y. Cho, Tucker Hermans, and Alan Kuntz, "Planning Sensing Sequences for Subsurface 3D Tumor Mapping," International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), 2021. (pdf) (arXiv)
    • Bao Thach, Alan Kuntz, and Tucker Hermans, "DeformerNet: A Deep Learning Approach to 3D Deformable Object Manipulation," RSS Workshop on Deformable Object Simulation in Robotics (DO-Sim), 2021. Best Paper - Honorable Mention (pdf) (arXiv)
    • Janine Hoelscher, Mengyu Fu, Inbar Fried, Maxwell Emerson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Margaret Rox, Alan Kuntz, Jason A. Akulian, Robert J. Webster, III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Backward Planning for a Multi-Stage Steerable Needle Lung Robot," IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 3987-3994, April 2021. (pdf) (web)
    • Inbar Fried, Janine Hoelscher, Mengyu Fu, Maxwell Emerson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Margaret Rox, Josephine Granna, Alan Kuntz, Jason A. Akulian, Robert J. Webster, III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Design Considerations for a Steerable Needle Robot to Maximize Reachable Lung Volume," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2021. (pdf)
    • Sarvenaz Chaeibakhsh, Roya Sabbagh Novin, Tucker Hermans, Andrew Merryweather, and Alan Kuntz, "Optimizing Hospital Room Layout to Reduce the Risk of Patient Falls," The International Conference on Operations Research and Enterprise Systems (ICORES), pp. 36-48, February 2021. (pdf)
    • Maxwell Emerson, James M. Ferguson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Margaret F. Rox, Josephine Granna, Michael Lester, Fabien Maldonado, Erin A. Gillaspie, Ron Alterovitz, Robert J. Webster, III, and Alan Kuntz, "A Recurrent Neural Network Approach to Roll Estimation for Needle Steering," International Symposium on Experimental Robotics (ISER), pp. 334-342, 2020. (pdf)
    • James M. Ferguson, E. Bryn Pitt, Alan Kuntz, Josephine Granna, Nicholas L. Kavoussi, Naren Nimmagadda, Eric J. Barth, S. Duke Herrell, III, and Robert J. Webster III, "Comparing the Accuracy of the da Vinci Xi and da Vinci Si for Image Guidance and Automation," The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, vol. 16, Issue 6, pp. 1-10, December 2020. (web)
    • Margaret F. Rox, Maxwell Emerson, Tayfun Efe Ertop, Inbar Fried, Mengyu Fu, Janine Hoelscher, Alan Kuntz, Josephine Granna, Jason Mitchell, Michael Lester, Fabien Maldonado, Erin A. Gillaspie, Jason A. Akulian, Ron Alterovitz, and Robert J. Webster, III, "Decoupling Steerability from Diameter: Helical Dovetail Laser Patterning for Steerable Needles", IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 181411-181419, October 2020. (web) (pdf)
    • Tayfun Efe Ertop, Maxwell Emerson, Margaret F. Rox, Josephine Granna, Fabien Maldonado, Erin Gillaspie, Michael Lester, Alan Kuntz, D. Caleb Rucker, Mengyu Fu, Janine Hoelscher, Inbar Fried, Ron Alterovitz, and Robert J. Webster, III, "Steerable Needle Trajectory Following in the Lung: Torsional Deadband Compensation and Full Pose Estimation with 5DOF Feedback for Needles Passing Through Flexible Endoscopes", ASME Dynamic Systems and Control Conference, October 2020. Best Student Paper - Finalist (pdf)
    • Haonan Chen, Hao Tan, Alan Kuntz, Mohit Bansal, and Ron Alterovitz, "Enabling Robots to Understand Incomplete Natural Language Instructions Using Commonsense Reasoning,'' IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 1963-1969, Paris, France, June 2020. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Armaan Sethi, Robert J. Webster, III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Learning the Complete Shape of Concentric Tube Robots'', IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 140-147, May 2020. (pdf)
    • James M. Ferguson, E. Bryn Pitt, Andria A. Remirez, Michael A. Siebold, Alan Kuntz, Nicholas L. Kavoussi, Eric J. Barth, S. Duke Herrell, III, and Robert J. Webster III, "Toward Practical and Accurate Touch-Based Image Guidance for Robotic Partial Nephrectomy," IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 196-205, May 2020. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Mengyu Fu, and Ron Alterovitz, "Planning High-Quality Motions for Concentric Tube Robots in Point Clouds via Parallel Sampling and Optimization,'' IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 2205-2212, Macau, China, November 2019. (pdf)
    • Sherdil Niyaz, Alan Kuntz, Oren Salzman, Ron Alterovitz, and Siddhartha S. Srinivasa,  "Optimizing Motion-Planning Problem Setup via Bounded Evaluation with Application to Following Surgical Trajectories,'' IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 1355-1362, Macau, China, November 2019. (pdf)
    •  Alan Kuntz, Armaan Sethi, and Ron Alterovitz, "Estimating the Complete Shape of Concentric Tube Robots via Learning," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, pp. 43-44, London, United Kingdom, June 2019. (pdf)
    • Mengyu Fu, Alan Kuntz, Oren Salzman, and Ron Alterovitz, "Toward Asymptotically-Optimal Inspection Planning via Efficient Near-Optimal Graph Search," Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS), Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, June 2019. (pdf)
    • Sherdil Niyaz, Alan Kuntz, Oren Salzman, Ron Alterovitz, and Siddhartha S. Srinivasa, "Following Surgical Trajectories with Concentric Tube Robots via Nearest-Neighbor Graphs," International Symposium on Experimental Robotics (ISER), Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 2018. (pdf)
    • Mengyu Fu, Alan Kuntz, Robert J. Webster III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Safe Motion Planning for Steerable Needles Using Cost Maps Automatically Extracted from Pulmonary Images," IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 4942-4949, Madrid, Spain, October 2018. (pdf)
    • Patrick Anderson, Tayfun Ertop, Alan Kuntz, Fabien Maldonado, Ron Alterovitz, and Robert J. Webster III, "Sand Blasting Inside a Patient: A CRISP Robot for Spraying Powder inside the Chest Cavity to Preclude Lung Collapse," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, pp. 121-122, London, United Kingdom, June 2018. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Chris Bowen, Cenk Baykal, Arthur W. Mahoney, Patrick L. Anderson, Fabien Maldonado, Robert J. Webster III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Kinematic Design Optimization of a Parallel Surgical Robot to Maximize Anatomical Visibility via Motion Planning," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 926-933, Brisbane, Australia, May 2018. (pdf)
    •  Alan Kuntz, Chris Bowen, and Ron Alterovitz, "Fast Anytime Motion Planning in Point Clouds by Interleaving Sampling and Interior Point Optimization," Proc. International Symposium on Robotics Research (ISRR), Puerto Varas, Chile, December 2017. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Arthur W. Mahoney, Nicolas E. Peckman, Patrick L. Anderson, Fabien Maldonado, Robert J. Webster, III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Motion Planning for Continuum Reconfigurable Incisionless Surgical Parallel Robots," IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 6463-6469, Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 2017. (pdf)
    •  Alan Kuntz, Philip J. Swaney, Arthur Mahoney, Richard H. Feins, Yueh Z. Lee, Robert J. Webster, III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Toward Transoral Peripheral Lung Access: Steering Bronchoscope-Deployed Needles through Porcine Lung Tissue," The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, pp. 9-10, London, United Kingdom, June 2016. (pdf)
    • Alan Kuntz, Luis G. Torres, Richard H. Feins, Robert J. Webster III, and Ron Alterovitz, "Motion Planning for a Three-Stage Multilumen Transoral Lung Access System," IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), pp. 3255-3261, Hamburg, Germany, September 2015. (pdf)
    • Luis G. Torres, Alan Kuntz, Hunter B. Gilbert, Philip J. Swaney, Richard J. Hendrick, Robert J. Webster III, and Ron Alterovitz, "A Motion Planning Approach to Automatic Obstacle Avoidance during Concentric Tube Robot Teleoperation," IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 2361-2367, Seattle, WA, USA, May 2015. (pdf)
    •  Nathan Sharp, Alan Kuntz, Cole Brubaker, Stephanie Amos, Wei Gao, Gautum Gupta, Charles R. Farrar, David D. Mascarenas, Aditya Mohite, "Crack Detection Sensor Layout and Bus Configuration Analysis," Smart Materials and Structures, 23(5):055021, 2014.
    • Nathan Sharp, Alan Kuntz, Cole Brubaker, Stephanie Amos, Wei Gao, Gautum Gupta, Aditya Mohite, Charles R. Farrar, David D. Mascarenas, "A Bio-Inspired Asynchronous Skin System for Crack Detection Applications," Smart Materials and Structures, 23(5):055020, 2014.
    • Nathan Sharp, Alan Kuntz, Cole Brubaker, Stephanie Amos, Wei Gao, Gautum Gupta, Aditya Mohite, Charles Farrar, David Mascarenas, "An Asynchronous Sensor Skin for Structural Health Monitoring Applications," Conference on Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems,
      San Diego, CA, USA, March 2014.