Ann Majewicz Fey

About

Ann Majewicz Fey is a prominent robotics and biomedical engineering researcher whose work sits at the intersection of surgical robotics, needle steering, and human-robot interaction. Best known for her foundational contributions to robot-assisted needle steering, her 2011 survey paper on the subject has accumulated 182 citations and remains a cornerstone reference in the field. Her early experimental work—evaluating steerable needle behavior in ex vivo and in vivo tissue and examining variables such as tip asymmetry, insertion velocity, and shaft diameter—helped establish the empirical groundwork for clinically viable needle steering systems, collectively drawing over 140 additional citations. Beyond needle mechanics, Majewicz Fey has made significant strides in surgical performance assessment and human-centered robotics. Her research on semantic labeling, crowd-sourced surgical expertise evaluation, and real-time stylistic behavior analysis in robotic surgery reflects a commitment to making surgical training and evaluation more meaningful and objective. Her 2021 work rethinking autonomous surgery advocates for human-enhancement frameworks over full autonomy, signaling a thoughtful perspective on the future of surgical AI. With a body of work spanning teleoperation algorithm design, duty-cycling steering strategies, and intuitive control interfaces, Majewicz Fey has profoundly shaped how researchers and clinicians approach minimally invasive robotic procedures.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robot-Assisted Needle Steering

   182 citations · 2011
2. 2
   Behavior of Tip-Steerable Needles in Ex Vivo and In Vivo Tissue

   90 citations · 2012
3. 3
   Automatic and near real-time stylistic behavior assessment in robotic surgery

   52 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Evaluation of robotic needle steering in ex vivo tissue

   51 citations · 2010
5. 5
   Design and evaluation of duty-cycling steering algorithms for robotically-driven steerable needles

   43 citations · 2014
6. 6
   Toward Intuitive Teleoperation in Surgery: Human-Centric Evaluation of Teleoperation Algorithms for Robotic Needle Steering

   42 citations · 2018
7. 7
   Rethinking Autonomous Surgery: Focusing on Enhancement over Autonomy

   40 citations · 2021
8. 8
   Cartesian and joint space teleoperation for nonholonomic steerable needles

   39 citations · 2013
9. 9
   Meaningful Assessment of Robotic Surgical Style using the Wisdom of Crowds

   28 citations · 2018
10. 10
    Meaningful Assessment of Surgical Expertise: Semantic Labeling with Data and Crowds

    24 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links