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Parsaoran Hutapea

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Parsaoran Hutapea

  • College of Engineering

    • Mechanical Engineering

      • Professor

      • Director, Nanoscale Instrumentation Center

Biography

Dr. Parsaoran Hutapea is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Temple University and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He earned his BS, MS, and PhD in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Hutapea’s research focuses on the mechanics and design of medical devices, with an emphasis on understanding how materials interact in biomedical applications. His work has been supported by a wide range of private, state, and federal agencies. Currently, his research is funded by the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation, where he investigates the mechanics of surgical needle–tissue interactions in soft materials.He is the Director of the Composites Laboratory, where his team conducts cutting-edge research at the intersection of mechanics, materials, and biomedical engineering.

Labs: Composites Laboratory

Google Scholar: Google Scholar

Research Interests

  • Applied Mechanics
  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Design of Medical Devices

Courses Taught

Number

Name

Level

ENGR 2331

Engineering Statics

Undergraduate

ENGR 2333

Mechanics of Solids

Undergraduate

Selected Publications

Recent

  • Kim, D. & Hutapea, P. (2026). When Bioinspiration Doesn’t Help: Mechanical Behavior of Bio-inspired Curved Needles During Curvilinear Insertion. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express.

  • Hutapea, D.K.P. (2025). Effect of curvilinear insertion on mechanics of curved needles in tissue-mimicking material. Medical Engineering & Physics, 146(1), 104446. 10.1016/j.medengphy.2025.104446

  • Acharya, S.R., Kim, D., & Hutapea, P. (2023). Steering Control Improvement of Active Surgical Needle Using Mosquito Proboscis-Inspired Cannula. Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy, 6(4). ASME International. 10.1115/1.4063200

  • Al-Safadi, S. & Hutapea, P. (2023). A study on modeling the deflection of surgical needle during insertion into multilayer tissues. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 146, 106071-106071. Elsevier BV. 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2023.106071

  • Acharya, S.R. & Hutapea, P. (2023). Design and evaluation of shape memory alloy‐actuated active needle using finite element analysis and deflection tracking control in soft tissues. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, 19(5). Wiley. 10.1002/rcs.2554

  • Hutapea, K.I.P.P. (2023). Study of Tissue Damage Induced by Insertion of Composite-Coated Needle. Medical Engineering & Physics, 123(1), 104094. 10.1016/j.medengphy.2023.104094

  • Hutapea, S.R.A.P. (2023). An experimental study on the mechanics and control of SMA-actuated bioinspired needle. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 18(6), 066008. IOP Publishing. 10.1088/1748-3190/acfb65

  • Hutapea, K.I.P.P. (2023). Experimental and analytical study on insertion force of composite-coated needle in soft tissue material. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part H Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 237(9), 1061-1071. 10.1177/09544119231191910

  • Gidde, S.T.R., Islam, S., Kim, A., & Hutapea, P. (2023). Experimental study of mosquito-inspired needle to minimize insertion force and tissue deformation. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 237(1), 113-123. SAGE Publications. 10.1177/09544119221137133

  • Gidde, S.T.R., Acharya, S.R., Kandel, S., Pleshko, N., & Hutapea, P. (2022). Assessment of tissue damage from mosquito-inspired surgical needle. Minimally Invasive Therapy & Allied Technologies, 1-10. 10.1080/13645706.2022.2051718

  • Hutapea, P. (2022). What are engineers learning from insects? 10.33424/futurum230

  • Patel, K.I., Zhu, L., Ren, F., & Hutapea, P. (2021). Effect of composite coating on insertion mechanics of needle structure in soft materials. Medical Engineering & Physics, 95(1), 104-110. IOP Publishing. 10.1016/j.medengphy.2021.07.008

  • Seo, W.H., Hutapea, P., & Loh, B.G. (2021). Predicting length of hospital stay in infants with acute bronchiolitis using machine-learning algorithms. Acta Paediatr, 110(3), 961-962. Norway. 10.1111/apa.15633

  • Hutapea, S.R.A.P. (2021). Design Considerations for Shape Memory Alloy Actuator Based Active Steerable Needle. ASME International. doi: 10.1115/1.0004934v.

  • Hutapea, S.A.P. (2021). An Analytical Model of the Deflection of Hollow Needle-Like Structures Moving in Soft Materials. ASME International. doi: 10.1115/1.0004891v.

  • Hutapea, S.T.R.G.P. (2021). Influence of Composite Polymer Coatings on the Insertion Force of Needle-Like Structure in Soft Materials. ASME International. doi: 10.1115/1.0004530v.

  • Hutapea, S.T.R.G.P. (2021). Design and Experimental Evaluation of Mosquito-Inspired Needle Structure in Soft Materials. ASME International. doi: 10.1115/1.0004525v.