Rayhan Papar
The Woodlands College Park High School
Woodlands, TX
Sim-to-Real for Autonomous Tumor Resection via Minimally Invasive Robotics
Rayhan Papar, 18, of Spring, developed a framework to help surgical robots learn to remove tumors on their own for his Regeneron Science Talent Search computer science project.
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Surgical robots can potentially deliver extreme precision and dexterity during surgery, but in clinical settings, they’re still operated by human surgeons. It’s hard to train these robots because each patient’s anatomy is different, and tissues move around and change their size and shape during surgery. They also have to work in a restricted visual field.
For his project, Rayhan came up with a method to train robots in a physics-based simulated environment created using medical imaging to reconstruct anatomy. This helped train the robots to make better decisions and also to perform a preoperative check of the surgical plan. The framework was tested on a da Vinci surgical system, which successfully removed whole tumors in three of four gel model tests.
The child of Lamiyah and Riyaz Papar, Rayhan attends The Woodlands College Park High School, where he mentors students working on STEM projects.
Beyond the Project
Rayhan holds a patent for a surgical aid to help resect brain tumors, and co-founded the nonprofit IdeaCharge, which teaches children about electrical engineering.
FUN FACTS: Rayhan is a stargazer. He likes to set up his gear in fields outside town and search for Messier objects hidden amid stars. Sometimes, on camping trips, his whole family studies the skies together.
