IZADYAR TAMADON,
May 26th, 1987
Iranian

April. 2019-NOW
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The Biorobotics Institute, Pisa, ITALY
Post-doctoral Researcher
Supervisor: Prof. Arianna Menciassi
Smart solutions for surgical robotics

My purpose in continuing academic research is not only to carry out the tasks of a project; but also I want to be an expert, to make innovation in improving the structure of projects. Even to suggest new projects compatible with today’s and future’s demands of medical field. I want to be named as a person who had a great effect on the science.

Oct. 2015-Mar. 2019
Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, The Biorobotics Institute, Pisa, ITALY

PhD in Biorobotics

Supervisors: Prof. Paolo Dario and Prof. Arianna Menciassi

Co-supervisor: Leonardo Ricotti

Thesis title: Robotic solutions for controlled delivery of therapeutic implant and drug

Full mark (100/100) with Honor “Cum Laude”

In 2013, as a M.Sc. graduate student, I've decided to pursue my education to hiegher level. For me, the M.Sc. program was a chance to gain the requirements for this end. I like to move beyond ordinary applications of mechanical engineering. I was fully aware of the hard work and perseverance required for a successful career in research and I believed that I had the aptitude and drive to met the challenge. After consulting with my Professors, friends, seniors students in abroad, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna has been recommended for its excellent faculty & research outcome. When I looked at the website, a number of faculty members in medical robotics attracted me. I studied previous projects of these groups and realized that I can pursue my research interest in surgical robotics. I felt that graduate study here will be the most logical extensions of my objectives.

My PhD thesis is divided in two projects: 1) Implantable artificial organ, 2) Manipulators for minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures which both projects were evaluated as “good” by external committees.

1) An artificial pancreas (AP) is an implantable insulin delivery device as substitution of pancreas for T1 diabetic patients. It determines the correspondent amount of insulin needed by sensing blood glucose levels and finally delivers an appropriate amount of insulin in the body. The system is able to be refilled by means of an ingestible capsule when the reservoir is depleted. An advanced prototype of fully implantable artificial pancreas with docking, punching, pumping and aspirating was tested on human cadaver. The prototype was placed in intraperitoneal cavity and was able to inject insulin with resolution of 3µL on demand. The proposed pumping mechanism resulted extremely efficient and led to drug release also in non-continuous fashion. Also, successful refiling of the reservoir was performed by capsule docking and needle punching mechanisms. The aspiration of insulin by variable volume reservoir makes the system to be filled in only one minute and keeps the insulin far from bubbles or air. Moreover, it has wireless battery charging and Bluetooth communicate with tablets. Recent in-vivo experiments prove the functions in diabetic pig.

2) A 5-DoFs manipulator for prosthesis delivery, devised for operation in the human’s chest. The flexible manipulator is compatible with the MIS approach and equipped with endoscopic visualization, for aortic heart valve replacement. Proposing three endoscopic visions in tip, was very effective to find the nadir points and expansion site. Also, novel mechanisms and available DoFs in the system made the delivery in safe, fast and effective way. For example, introducer with minimum disturbance in manipulator’s pose and two stage valve expansion was a privilege of our design in compare with the robotic delivery in state of the art. The manipulator was validated in-vitro and showed great functionality in precise positioning of Sorin prosthesis in aortic root based on patient anatomy. Also, mathematical modeling of the manipulator for constant curvature kinematics were helping for controlling the manipulator and finding the tip’s position. Thus, tele-surgery by means of remote joysticks and camera visions on screen is also possible. Moreover, we introduced a simple cable tensioning strategy based on the leading tension concept, and we effectively achieved stiffening by considering a variety of starting poses. The maximum stiffening factor was in between 2 and 9, based on relevant margins from the initial pose to the workspace boundary, and on potential contributions by the structure itself. The robotic manipulator paves the way to future applications of these systems in the fields of surgical robotics.

Sept. 2010-Oct. 2012
Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), Tehran, IRAN

M.Sc. in Mechatronics, Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Prof. Mirsaeed Safizadeh

Thesis title: Design and Assembly of Wireless Sensor for Remote Condition Monitoring of Ball Bearings

GPA: 16.28/20 (Average of university is 14.34/20)

The desire to study Mechatronic engineering prompted me to participate in a highly competitive national examination for admission to the best Iranian Universities. I ranked 95 among 9500 participants and chose Iran University of Science and Technology which is the oldest university of technology to train engineers. My intention to experimental jobs made me to speak with Dr. Safizadeh to be my supervisor. Because of his excellent personality, he has gathered a friendly research atmosphere in the lab. His research assistants were the most talented students in this field. Being in Research & Technology Center, made an excellent opportunity to face different aspects of a mechatronic engineer. Since beginning of my Training, I have been working in the study of the wireless sensors.

My M.Sc. thesis is related to designing and assembling a wireless accelerometer sensor. It was gathering the vibration measurements with acceleration sensor and transferring them with high sample rate via Zigbee module. On the other end, the data is processed with LabVIEW to characterize different kinds of defects in bearings. These researches resulted in an automated diagnosis program for remote condition monitoring of ball bearings. The results and whole procedure was submitted in a mechatronics journal.

Sept. 2005- Sept. 2009
Azad University, Najaf Abad branch (IAUN), Isfahan, IRAN

B.Sc. in Production and Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering

Advisor: Prof. Ehsan Eimanian

Thesis title: Design and Fabrication of Vacuum Casting Machine

GPA: 15.61/20

I can never forget the pleasure of the day when with my brother we assembled a simple radio using a didactic electronic package. Several years later, I entered high school, one of the best schools in the city with a desire to learn more about my childhood interests. At high school, we learned how to try finding a new and more tangible solution. We learned how to make our mental horizons go beyond formulas and prearranged solutions. For example, this attitude led me to learn the fundamentals of dynamic in Physics II and circuit analysis in Physics III with a great interest. My brother started his studying in electrical engineering. Later, This recognition with the basics of Mechatronic engineering along with my childhood interest convinced me to start in Mechanical engineering at B.Sc. level. In the second year of the B.Sc., I had the chance to participate in a robotic group with primary focus on microcontrollers. After some sessions, I used to go to robotic lab which helped me in getting familiar with experimental methods of control. Besides mechanical engineering students, there were some students majoring in Electronic, therefore I was very curious to find out how cooperation between students could result in sophisticated systems. After several months of observing the course of their projects, I found mechatronic a field which provides me the possibility to learn more complex theories and concepts of engineering. Spending time with that group motivated me to do research in the mentioned field. They were incentives for my later activities.