Welcome to Surreality Lab

Where Healthcare Meets Innovation

Surreality Lab is a pioneering collaborative initiative between medicine and computer science, housed within the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh's School of Computing and Information. Established in 2020, our lab's mission is to transform surgical care through groundbreaking research in Spatial Computing (SC), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML), and robotics. Our team has grown from an initial five members to over 40 core researchers, with up to 65 affiliated attending physicians, residents, medical students, PhD students, and professors specializing in computer science, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Our research spans multiple surgical disciplines, including neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, otorhinolaryngology, plastic surgery, and urology. By leveraging SC's portability, low-cost, and sterile integrative capabilities, we aim to enhance surgical precision, streamline clinical workflows, and democratize access to advanced surgical care, bringing quaternary-level capabilities to underserved and rural areas.

At the heart of Surreality Lab's approach is a multidisciplinary team environment where medical professionals, computer scientists, engineers, and innovators work together to turn visionary concepts into real-world applications. We foster an innovative ecosystem, supporting project teams with funding, mentorship, and resources to navigate the paths of ideation, analysis, publication, and commercialization. This symbiotic model of clinical and technical collaboration allows us to develop solutions that push the frontiers of surgical care and define the next generation of interdisciplinary research.

Join us as we shape the future of surgery through technology, empowering the average surgeon to become exceptional.

Funding

This lab was founded with a generous gift from The Tull Family Foundation and Alba Tull. Without her vision and support, none of this work would be possible.

  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2024), University of Pittsburgh
  • Carolyn L. Kuckein Student Research Fellowship, Alpha Omega Alpha (2024), University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information’s CS50 Fellowship (2024), University of Pittsburgh
  • The Pittsburgh Foundation Copeland Grant (2023), University of Pittsburgh
  • UPMC Mercy Medical Executive Committee (2023), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  • The Beckwith Institute Clinical Transformation Grant (2023), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2023), Carnegie Mellow University
  • Roth Fellowship Award (2022), University of Pittsburgh
  • The Pittsburgh Foundation Copeland Grant (2021), University of Pittsburgh
  • Gift, The Tull Family Foundation (2021)