Rukaiya Batliwala

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About

Rukaiya Batliwala is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics and medical haptics, dedicated to enhancing the sensory capabilities of minimally invasive surgical tools. Her work focuses on developing soft, wearable haptic feedback systems that restore the sense of touch to surgeons performing remote or robot-assisted procedures. Batliwala’s most cited contribution, “A Soft Robotic Haptic Feedback Glove for Colonoscopy Procedures” (2022, 18 citations), introduces a proof-of-concept glove that transmits tactile sensations from a force-sensing robotic sleeve on the colonoscope directly to the surgeon’s hand, promising to improve precision and safety in interventional endoscopy. Building on this foundation, her 2023 paper on a “Soft Optical Sensor and Haptic Feedback System for Remote and Robot-Assisted Palpation” (4 citations) tackles the critical challenge of tumor identification by enabling surgeons to “feel” variations in tissue stiffness through soft optical sensing. Though early in her career, Batliwala’s innovative integration of soft materials with haptic feedback is establishing her as a key voice in the next generation of surgical robotics, with her work directly addressing the long-standing sensory gap in teleoperated medicine.