5000 Forbes Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15206
office: (412) 268-9742 lab: (412) 268-5905
patronik@cmu.edu www.cs.cmu.edu/~patronik
Education Carnegie Mellon University The Robotics Institute Pittsburgh, PA
Ph.D. Robotics May 2004 - May 2008
Thesis: A Miniature Mobile Robot for Precise and Stable Access to the Beating Heart
· Improved the design, control, and user interface of a heart-mounted mobile robot (HeartLander) for navigation on the beating heart through a minimally invasive approach
· Developed a control system for path planning, trajectory generation, and precise navigation to targets located around the entire surface of the beating heart
· Designed delivery mechanisms for the administration of several cardiac therapies from HeartLander, including: regenerative material injection, lead placement, and ablation
· Demonstrated all system components using closed-chest beating-heart porcine models
Carnegie Mellon University The Robotics Institute Pittsburgh, PA
M.S. Robotics Aug 2002 - May 2004
Thesis: Development and Testing of a Mobile Robot for Cardiac Intervention
· Designed and constructed a wire-driven continuum-type mobile robot to provide enhanced minimally invasive access to the surface of the beating heart for cardiac therapy
· Demonstrated successful testing of prehension and locomotion designs using open-chest, beating-heart porcine models
Boston University Department of Biomedical Engineering Boston, MA
· Graduated summa cum laude
Thesis: Evaluation of a Sensory Substitution System for Eliciting Postural Responses
· Constructed a pressure-based sensory substitution system for peripheral neuropathy
· Designed and conducted human experiments to analyze the postural behavior of subjects via stabilogram diffusion and electromyography to determine the effect of sensory substitution
Honors and NASA GSRP Fellowship, 2006-2008 CMU Robotics Institute Fellowship, 2004-2008
Awards BU University Scholarship, 1996-2000 Best Mini Presentation, ISMICS, 2007
BU Engineering Dean’s List, 1996-2000 Biomedical Engineering Honor Society
Professional Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Jenks Vestibular Lab Boston, MA
Experience Research Engineer Jan 2001 - Aug 2002
· Coordinated a gait perturbation experiment with vestibulopathic subjects using a computer-controlled, programmable displacement platform and an optical tracking system
· Performed data analysis to determine how the recovery strategies of the vestibulopathic subjects differed from those of the control subjects
Boston Scientific Corporation Microvasive Endoscopy Group Natick, MA
Project Engineer June 1999 - Sept 1999, July 2000 - Jan 2001
· Redesigned a minimally-invasive endoscopic robotic device using Pro/ENGINEER and conducted in vitro animal studies to evaluate performance following revisions
· Designed two experimental prototypes of an improved mechanical component for an existing minimally-invasive full-thickness resection device using Pro/ENGINEER
Coursework Graduate
Kinematics, Dynamics, and Control Machine Learning
Advanced Topics in Kinematics Fundamentals of AI for Robotics
Micro/Nano-Robotics Computer Vision
Mobile Robot Programming Surgery for Engineers (Johns Hopkins)
Sensing and Sensors Entrepreneurial Thought and Action
Mathematical Fundamentals for Robotics Strategic Uses of Information Technology
Undergraduate
Engineering Design I & II Solid Biomechanics
Linear Signals and Systems Intro to Medical Imaging
Linear Control Systems Biomedical Instrumentation
Computer Pro/ENGINEER MATLAB
Skills SolidWorks C++
Journal N. A. Patronik, T. Ota, M. A. Zenati, and C. N. Riviere, "Synchronization of stepping with
Publications heartbeat and respiration for locomotion on the beating heart," International Journal of
Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery (IJMRCAS), 2008. (In preparation).
N. A. Patronik, T. Ota, M. A. Zenati, and C. N. Riviere, "A miniature mobile robot for precise and stable access to the beating heart," IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2008. (Submitted).
T. Ota, N. A. Patronik, C. N. Riviere, and M. A. Zenati, "Minimally invasive epicardial injections using a novel semi-autonomous robotic device," Circulation, 2008. (In press).
T. Ota, N. A. Patronik, C. N. Riviere, and M. A. Zenati, "Percutaneous subxiphoid access to the epicardium using a miniature crawling robotic device," Innovations: Technology & Techniques in Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, vol. 1, pp. 227-231, 2006.
N.A. Patronik, M.A. Zenati, C.N. Riviere, "Preliminary evaluation of a mobile robotic device for navigation and intervention on the beating heart," Computer Aided Surgery, vol.10, pp. 225-232, 2005.
C. N. Riviere, N. A. Patronik, and M. A. Zenati, "Prototype epicardial crawling device for intrapericardial intervention on the beating heart," Heart Surgical Forum, vol. 7, pp. E639-643, 2004.
C. Wall, 3rd, L. I. Oddsson, N. A. Patronik, K. Sienko, and E. Kentala, "Recovery trajectories of vestibulopathic subjects after perturbations during locomotion," Journal of Vestibular Research, vol. 12, pp. 239-253, 2002.
Selected N. A. Patronik, T. Ota, M. A. Zenati, and C. N. Riviere, "Accurate positioning for intervention
Conferences on the beating heart using a crawling robot," in Proceedings of the 2nd IEEE International
Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob), 2008. (In press).
N. A. Patronik, T. Ota, M. A. Zenati, and C. N. Riviere, "Improved traction for a mobile robot traveling on the heart," in Proceedings of the 28th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC). vol. 1, 2006, pp. 339-342.
Patents C. N. Riviere, N. A. Patronik, M. A. Zenati, G. D. Stetten, "Robot for minimally invasive interventions," US and International Patents Pending, submitted November 5, 2004.
S. K. Sharma, D. I. Freed, N. A. Patronik, J. M. Wendlandt, "Full thickness resectioning device," US Patent 6,685,079, issued to SciMed Life Systems, submitted May 24, 2002, issued February 3, 2004.