Events Calendar

Alfred E.Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering - Seminar series

Speaker: Dr. Gerald E. Loeb, M.D., Professor, Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, USC

Talk Title: Bayesian Exploration for Intelligent Haptics and Medical Diagnosis

Abstract: In research, one thing leads to another, often surprisingly. After being asked by DARPA to model control systems for prosthetic arms, we realized that their hands needed tactile sensing technology that didn’t exist, so we invented that and started a company to build the sensors. Then we needed a new form of artificial intelligence to decide what exploratory movements to use with those sensors, so we invented that. Then we realized that the problem of haptic identification of objects was similar to the problem of clinical differential diagnosis. At each step, the clinician must figure out what observation or test will be most useful in arriving at a final diagnosis. So we’re developing that application of Bayesian Exploration now and testing it in a clinic in the USC Ostrow School of Dentistry.

Biography: Gerald Loeb received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and has led research in fundamental neurophysiology and applied neural prosthetics at the US NIH, Queen’s University (Canada) and now University of Southern California. He is Fellow of the US National Academy of Inventors and has been a founder or principal in several companies that have commercialized his inventions. He now directs the USC BME Innovation Space and teaches students about the development and regulation of medical devices.

Host: Jennifer Treweek

Location: Ronald Tutor Hall of Engineering (RTH) - 109

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Carla Stanard