Carlos Rodriguez-Guerrero

KU Leuven · Department of Mechanical Engineering

CarlosRodriguez-Guerrero

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Co-director, Robotic Assisted Surgery Lab

Robotic, haptic and extended reality systems that help clinicians learn and perform complex procedures.

Illustrative rendering: a freehand ultrasound sweep over the spine, with a planned needle trajectory and target.

About

Carlos Rodriguez-Guerrero is a Colombian-Belgian scientist and engineer working at the intersection of medical robotics, haptics, extended reality and human-centred robotic systems. He is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven and co-director of the Robotic Assisted Surgery Lab (RAS Lab), where he leads research on technologies for surgical training, navigation and robotic assistance.

His research investigates how robotic, haptic, imaging and extended reality technologies can support clinicians during training and intervention. A central theme is the development of systems that improve how complex medical procedures are learned and performed, including virtual and augmented reality for procedural training, quantitative analysis of operator performance, and the integration of computer vision and haptic interaction into image-guided interventions.

He has led and co-led research projects funded through Belgian and European research programmes, and has supervised work spanning medical robotics, surgical navigation, haptics, extended reality and simulation-based training. His research has resulted in journal publications, conference contributions, patents and collaborative projects with engineering groups, hospitals and clinical partners.

Research

Technologies that support clinicians during training and intervention, developed together with clinical partners.

  • Augmented reality guidance

    Bringing planning and imaging data into the surgeon's view of the patient.

  • Trackerless and markerless navigation

    Locating anatomy and instruments without attaching optical markers.

  • Freehand ultrasound reconstruction

    Building three-dimensional anatomy from handheld ultrasound sweeps.

  • Multimodal haptic feedback

    Guiding the clinician's hand through force, touch and vibration.

  • Virtual reality simulation

    Procedural training with quantitative analysis of operator performance.

  • Robotic assistance

    Robots that take on parts of an intervention while the clinician stays in control.

Clinical applications

  • Spine surgery
  • Maxillofacial surgery
  • Cochlear implantation
  • Lumbar puncture
  • Surgical osteotomies
  • Assisted reproduction

Earlier work

Before focusing on surgery, his research centred on rehabilitation robotics and wearable exoskeletons: powered orthoses for gait training, passive exoskeletons for the back and shoulder in occupational settings, and methods for benchmarking wearable robots.

Background

  1. Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, KU LeuvenCo-director, Robotic Assisted Surgery Lab (RAS Lab)
  2. Guest Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  3. Postdoctoral Researcher, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
  4. PhD

Selected publications

  1. 2022
    A walk in the wild helps to tailor robotic leg exoskeletonsRodriguez-Guerrero, C. Nature 610, 260–261.
  2. 2022
    Benchmarking occupational exoskeletons: An evidence mapping systematic reviewDe Bock, S., Ghillebert, J., Govaerts, R., Tassignon, B., Rodriguez-Guerrero, C., et al. Applied Ergonomics 98, 103582.
  3. 2020
    Biomechanical evaluation of a new passive back support exoskeletonKoopman, A.S., Näf, M., Baltrusch, S.J., Kingma, I., Rodriguez-Guerrero, C., et al. Journal of Biomechanics 105, 109795.
  4. 2020
    Benchmarking wearable robots: challenges and recommendations from functional, user experience, and methodological perspectivesTorricelli, D., Rodriguez-Guerrero, C., Veneman, J.F., Crea, S., Briem, K., Lenggenhager, B., Beckerle, P. Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
  5. 2018
    Passive back support exoskeleton improves range of motion using flexible beamsNäf, M.B., Koopman, A.S., Baltrusch, S., Rodriguez-Guerrero, C., et al. Frontiers in Robotics and AI 5, 72.

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