Nathan Smialek is a 21-year-old junior at the University of Pittsburgh who just received a provisional patent with three others for a surgical device that looks like a power drill.
Last year, Smialek and fellow Pitt juniors Harrison Harker, Ian McIntyre and Stephanie Lee began working on a device that frees up a surgeon’s hands in the operating room. Surgeons use a handheld microscope to get precise eye measurements during some operations.
The Pitt students came up with a mechanical extension that is designed to more efficiently view the patient’s eyes while freeing the surgeon’s hands. The device is a handheld microscope that uses light technology to view images of the eye.
The four students are members of Pitt’s Engineers for Sustainable Medical Development, which is a club. They began working on the device last year and it has since been used in at least five eye operations in children.
“The mechanical arm adds dimension to the accuracy of acquiring images that we didn’t have before,” UPMC pediatric eye surgeon Ken Nischal said in a prepared statement.
Smialek’s team has been getting help from Pitt’s Office of Enterprise Development, while Smialek considers career options. He came to Pitt with the idea of entering medical school, which is still a possibility, he said.
“It’s all too early to think about,” he said. An MBA degree or startup company are other possibilities.
“For us, it’s about the patients — helping solve a medical problem," Smialek said. “We’re just glad we can make that contribution.”