Craig A. Lehocky

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About

Craig A. Lehocky’s research focuses on the frontiers of medical robotics, specifically the modeling and control of flexible needles for minimally invasive brain surgery. His primary contributions lie in understanding the complex mechanics of needle-tissue interaction, developing both hyper- and viscoelastic finite element models to simulate how a flexible needle deforms brain tissue during insertion. This foundational work, detailed in his most-cited paper (6 citations), is critical for improving targeting accuracy in robotic neurosurgery. Lehocky further advanced the field by investigating how bevel-tipped needle design affects safety during curvilinear trajectories—a key challenge for robot-controlled brain insertions. His work on automatic steering of manually inserted needles (2 citations) introduced a novel control law that allows clinicians to maintain manual control over insertion speed while leveraging robotic precision for 3D steering. By bridging computational modeling with practical robotic control, Lehocky’s research directly addresses the safety and accuracy demands of neurosurgical interventions, laying essential groundwork for future clinical adoption of steerable needle systems.