UNM SOM - Division of Neurological Surgery

Welcome to Mohsen Shahinpoor Home Page

Mohsen Shahinpoor, Ph.D., Licensed PE, Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Fellow of Institute of Physics (IOP), Member: NY Academy of Science

· Richard C. Hill Professor and Chair

· Department of Mechanical Engineering

· Director: Biomedical Engineering Laboratory

· Director of Robotic Surgery Laboratory

· University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469

Mohsen Shahinpoor, Ph.D. was formerly a Regents Professor for Life in the School of Engineering as well as a Professor of Surgery and Neurosurgery in the School of Medicine at the University of New Mexico. He was formerly a Research Professor of Neurosurgery in the Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine,University of New Mexico as well as the Director of the World's first Artificial Muscles Research Institute (AMRI),

His main fields of research are:

1-The applications of ionic polymeric conductor (metal) composites (IPMCs, IPCCs) as distributed nanosensors, nanoactuators, energy harvestoers and artificial muscles to spine stabilization and fusion, medicine, surgery, medical implants, neurosurgery and muscular atrophy and dystrophy.

2-The applications of smart materials (shape memory alloys, SMA's, metal hydride artificial muscles, MRF-polymer composites and electroactive materials) and structures to spine stabilization (scoliosis) and fusion, medicine, robotic surgery, medical implants, neurosurgery and muscular atrophy and dystrophy.

His special interests include:

* Applications of biomaterials, advanced robotics and ionic polymeric artificial muscles to surgery

* Electronic regeneration of severed spinal cord

* Application of smart materials to scoliosis and other spinal abnormalities and malfunctions

* Surgical correction of endovascular arterial vascular malformation, blockage, aneurysms, arteriovenous fistulas and other related vascular problems.

He has served as principal research scientist at the Johns Hopkins University, the Northwestern university and a professor at California Institute of Technology. He is a Fellow of ASME, a Fellow of Institute of PHysics (IOP), a licensed professional engineer, PE, a Senior Member of SME, a Biomedical Engineering Consultant and a member of the prestigious N.Y. Academy of Sciences.

Mohsen Shahinpoor

"Out beyond ideas of right doing and wrong doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there," - Rumi
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
"Teaching should be such that what is offered is perceived as a valuable gift and not as a hard duty." -- Albert Einstein

Selected Recent Publications:

M. Shahinpoor, “A Review of Patents on Implantable Heart-Compression/Assist Devices and Systems”, in “Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering Journal”, volume 3, pp. 54-71, Bentham Science Publishers, 2010
M. Shahinpoor and David Soltanpour, ”Surgical Correction of Ptosis by Polymeric Artificial Muscles”, US Patent Office, Patent No. 7,625,404, Issued December 1, 2009
M. Shahinpoor, “Biomimetics Nananosensors and Nanoactuators”, in “Biomimetics and Bioinspired Nanomaterials”, Editor: Professor Challa S.S. R. Kumar, John Wiley and Sons Publishers, Wiley-VCH Verlag, GmnH & Co. KGaA, Boschstrase 12, Weinheim, Germany, vol. 7, 26 pages, 2009
M. Shahinpoor, “Implantable Heart-Assist and Compression Devices Employing an Active Network of Electrically-Controllable Ionic Polymer-Metal Nanocomposites”, in “Biomedical Applications of Electroactive Polymer Actuators”, Editors: Federico Carpi and Elisabeth Smela, John Wiley and Sons Publishers, West Sussex, United Kingdom, Chapter 7, pp. 37-59, 2009
Ron Lumia and M. Shahinpoor, “IPMC Microgripper Research and Development”, Journal of Physics CS, Institute of Physics, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 127 (2008) 012002, 2008-2009

Selected Publications:

M. Shahinpoor and Hans-Jörg Schneider, Editors, “ Intelligent Materials”, foreworded by: Nobel Laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (Liquid Crystal Polymers and Elastomers), Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Publishers, Thomas Graham House, Science Park, Milton Road Cambridge CB4 0WF, Great Britain,1 st . edition, (2008)
M. Shahinpoor, “Ionic Polymeric Conductor Nano Composites (IPCMCs) As Distributed Nanosensors and Nanoactuators”, Advances in Science and Technology J., Vol. 54, pp. 70-81, Trans Tech Publication, Switzerland, 2008
Ujwal Deole, Ron Lumia, Mohsen Shahinpoor and Michael Bermudez, “Design and Test of IPMC Artificial Muscle Microgripper“, J. Micro-Nano Mechatronics, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, DOI 10.1007/s12213-008-0004-z, June, 2008
M. Shahinpoor, K.J. Kim and Mehran Mojarrad, “Artificial Muscles : Applications of Advanced Polymeric Nano Composites ”, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, London SW15 2NU , Great Britain , 1 st . edition, (2007)
K. Choi, K. J. Kim, D. Kim, C. Manford, S. Heo and Mohsen Shahinpoor, “Performance Characteristics of Electro-Chemically Driven Polyacrylonitrile Fiber Bundle Actuators”, Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 563-576, July, (2006)
M. Shahinpoor,” Soft Plastic Robots and Artificial Muscles”, International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, vol 2, no. 2, pp. 161-174, (2005)
M. Shahinpoor and K. J. Kim, “Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites – III. Modeling and Simulation As Biomimetic Sensors, Actuators, Transducers and Artificial Muscles”, Smart Materials and Structures Int. J ., vol 13, No. 4, pp. 1362-1388, (2004)
M. Shahinpoor, “ Ionic Polymer-Conductor Composites As Biomimetic Sensors, Robotic Actuators and Artificial Muscles-A Review”, Electrochimica Acta , Vol. 48, No. 14-16, pp. 2343-2353, (2003)
M. S. Moneim, K. Firoozbakhsh, A. Mustapha, K. Larsen and M. Shahinpoor, “Flexor Tendon Repair Using Shape Memory Alloy Suture”, J. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, vol. 402, pp. 251-259, September (2002)
M. Shahinpoor and K. J. Kim, “Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites – I. Fundamentals”, Smart Materials and Structures Int. J ., Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 819-833 (2001)
P. G. de Gennes ( Nobel Laureate), K. Okumura, M. Shahinpoor, and K. J. Kim, “Mechanoelectric Effects in Ionic Gels”, Europhysics Letters , Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 513-518, (2000)