The University of Tennessee-Knoxville · EngineeringMinimally Invasive Surgical Innovations Lab
Daniel Caleb Rucker · Knoxville, Tennessee
Research Focus
Dr. Daniel Rucker's lab focuses on improving the tools used in minimally invasive colon surgeries. They are developing steerable instrument sheaths that can help doctors remove challenging colon lesions without needing invasive surgeries like colectomies. This innovation aims to make these procedures safer and accessible to more patients, bridging the skill gap between expert and average endoscopists.
minimally invasive surgeryendoscopysteerable instrumentscolon lesionssurgical innovation
Research Aims
3AIM 01Develop a steering mechanism for instrument sheaths.
AIM 02Create a user-friendly interface for physicians to control the device.
AIM 03Test the new device in animal models to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Skills the Lab Values
mechanical designsurgical instrument developmentanimal modelsclinical trialsprototype testing
Output against the department
Publications11bottom 3% of dept.269th of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations139bottom 2% of dept.272nd of 278
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.