Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Erik B. Vanstrum is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of machine learning, robotic surgery, and urologic oncology, whose work is reshaping how surgical skill is measured and taught. His most influential contributions center on developing objective, data-driven tools to evaluate robotic surgical performance—moving beyond subjective observation to quantifiable metrics. In his landmark 2021 study, Vanstrum created and validated the Dissection Assessment for Robotic Technique (DART), the first scoring tool specifically designed to assess dissection quality, a critical yet previously unmeasured component of surgery. This work, along with his 2020 paper on machine learning for optimizing robotics in the operative field (51 citations), demonstrates his commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance surgical training and patient outcomes. Vanstrum also led a survival analysis showing that surgeon skill metrics, combined with patient factors, can predict urinary continence recovery after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (44 citations). Notably, his research during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed that robotic surgical performance decayed among urologists during the shutdown, highlighting the importance of continuous practice. With over 150 total citations and a growing portfolio of gesture classification and automated assessment tools, Vanstrum is a rising leader in surgical data science, dedicated to making robotic surgery safer, more transparent, and more teachable.