Alexander Schlaefer

About

Alexander Schlaefer is a prominent biomedical engineering researcher whose work bridges robotics, medical imaging, and radiation therapy, with particular expertise in robotic radiosurgery and intelligent motion compensation systems. His foundational contributions to CyberKnife-based radiosurgery have significantly advanced the field's technical capabilities: his work on the iris collimator (127 citations) demonstrated how variable field sizes could enhance treatment plan quality, while his multi-criteria optimization framework (84 citations) established principled methods for balancing tumor coverage against protection of healthy tissue. Schlaefer's investigations into respiratory motion prediction (88 citations) addressed a critical clinical challenge—compensating for the unpredictable movement of tumors during treatment delivery—with his wavelet-based autoregression approach (50 citations) offering an elegant early solution. His technical rigor extends to robotic calibration methodologies (67 citations) and real-time tumor tracking feasibility studies (59 citations), underscoring the breadth of his systems-level thinking. More recently, he has expanded into deep learning for volumetric pose estimation (35 citations) and novel interfaces such as touchless OR control, reflecting a sustained commitment to pushing the boundaries of intelligent, robot-assisted medical intervention. His cumulative impact positions him as a leading voice in clinical robotics engineering.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The design, physical properties and clinical utility of an iris collimator for robotic radiosurgery

   127 citations · 2009
2. 2
   Evaluating and comparing algorithms for respiratory motion prediction

   88 citations · 2013
3. 3
   Stepwise multi‐criteria optimization for robotic radiosurgery

   84 citations · 2008
4. 4
   Non‐orthogonal tool/flange and robot/world calibration

   67 citations · 2012
5. 5
   Technical Description, Phantom Accuracy, and Clinical Feasibility for Single-Session Lung Radiosurgery Using Robotic Image-Guided Real-time Respiratory Tumor Tracking

   59 citations · 2007
6. 6
   Patient Motion and Targeting Accuracy in Robotic Spinal Radiosurgery: 260 Single-Fraction Fiducial-Free Cases

   58 citations · 2010
7. 7
   Prediction of Respiratory Motion with Wavelet-Based Multiscale Autoregression

   50 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Stimulus Intensity for Hand Held and Robotic Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

   44 citations · 2012
9. 9
   A deep learning approach for pose estimation from volumetric OCT data

   35 citations · 2018
10. 10
    Feasibility of touch-less control of operating room lights

    32 citations · 2012

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links