Upcoming Events

TBD

Friday, November 6, 2026
University of Minnesota

EVENT AGENDA

9:00–9:10 AM | University Leadership’s Welcome
Location: ME 1130
Opening remarks and welcome 

9:10–9:20 AM | Director’s Welcome
Location: ME 1130
Opening remarks and welcome from Director Nikolaos Papanikolopoulos, including an overview of the day’s activities.

9:20–10:20 AM | Faculty Lightning Talks — Session I
Location: ME 1130
Faculty researchers share brief presentations highlighting their work, research interests, and current initiatives.

10:20–10:30 AM | Break + Light Refreshments 

10:30–11:30 AM | Faculty Lightning Talks — Session II
Location: ME 1130
A second series of faculty lightning talks showcasing research and innovation across participating departments.

11:30 AM–1:00 PM | Research & Robotics Demonstrations
Location: Shepherd Laboratories & Surrounding Area

Participants

1. Self-divide into 7 groups, starting at different demo stations.
2. Watch the demo at your station.
3. During the 1-minute transition, move to another station of your choice.
4. Repeat until 1:00 PM. You may choose which demos to attend.

1:00–2:00 PM | Lunch

General Attendees: Independent lunch

2:00–3:10 PM | Student Poster Session
Location: Shepherd Lab 164 + Hallways
Explore student research through poster presentations and engage directly with student researchers.

To submit posters by the Oct. 16 deadline, click here. 

3:15–4:15 PM | Funding Opportunities Roundtable
Location: ME 1130
Discussion focused on research funding opportunities and related resources.

4:15–4:30 PM | Break with Light Refreshments 

4:30–5:30 PM | Industry Roundtable 
Location: ME 1130
Additional industry discussion featuring invited representatives from organizations including Honeywell and Mayo Clinic.

5:30–5:35 PM | Transition to Reception

5:35–6:45 PM | Closing Remarks & Reception
Location: Drone Lab — Shepherd Lab 164
Conclude the MnRI Showcase with closing remarks, networking, refreshments, and light appetizers.

EVENT LOCATIONS

Mechanical Engineering (ME) 1130
111 Church Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Shepherd Laboratories
University of Minnesota

Thank you for joining us for the 2026 MnRI Showcase!

General Attendees, Please Register at the link below: 

RSVP HERE

Title: Simulation First: Building AI and Robotic Systems That Work in the Real World

Abstract: Autonomous medical robots that rely on AI face a fundamental bottleneck: the data needed to train them, the environments needed to test them, and the evidence needed to validate them are scarce, expensive, or unsafe to obtain on real patients. This talk argues that physics-based simulation should be the first tool in the development pipeline, not the last. While realistic graphics matter, accurate physics modeling yields data that imagery alone cannot, including instrument reaction forces, tissue deformation and response, and precise characterization of surgeon error. Drawing on two decades of surgical robot simulation, this talk examines how simulation and digital-twin testbeds can train AI policies, evaluate robotic systems, and support regulatory review, and where sim-to-real transfer still falls short.

Short Bio: Jeff Berkley, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Lightside Surgical, a Seattle-area medical robotics company developing autonomous trauma hemorrhage control through robotics, telepresence, and physics-based simulation. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington's HIT Lab, where his work on real-time finite element modeling for surgical simulation was among the earliest in the field. In 2001, he founded Mimic Technologies, which built the dV-Trainer and became the leading simulation platform for robotic surgery training worldwide before Surgical Science acquired it in 2021, where he served as Chief Innovation Officer. He previously served eight years as a US Navy Medical Corpsman.

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