Richard S. LaBarca 
 

Experience

Clearpsring Technologies Inc., McLean, VA
Director Mobile / Device Technology (3/07 - present)
- Helping design and develop the best in class web, desktop and mobile widget platform

AdHoc Mobile LLC, Los Angeles, CA
Chief Technology Officer (2/07 - 3/07)
- Sold company to Convergent Technologies in 2007 - Designed, developed and deployed technology for first mobile application-focused advertisement distribution system
- Researched and authored patent provisional for the core technology
- Conducted technical discussions and due diligence rounds with companies such as Yahoo!

Tomo Software Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Chief Technology Officer (1/04 – 2/06)
- Inventor and lead architect for Mobile BEAST content delivery and virtual world platform
- Created technology demos that aided in raising $3M in funding for the company
- Led a team of 12 developers in developing and deploying the most sophisticated mobile content and MMO gaming platform ever in the US.  This included internationalization and mobile device porting strategies
- Researched and authored patent provisional for the core technology

CASurgica Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Lead Software Engineer (6/01 - 1/04)
-
Project lead for avascular necrosis surgical navigation system
- Consultant for commercialization of HipNav - total hip replacement surgical navigation system

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute : Medical Robotics & Computer Assisted Surgery Group, Pittsburgh,PA
Medical Robotics Technology Center Research Fellow ('01-'02)
Senior Research Programmer(5/98- present)

- Project lead / chief architect for HipNav - total hip replacement surgical navigation system
-- HipNav is now in full-time clinical use at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
-- HipNav is currently being commercialized by CASurgica Inc.
- Designer / project lead for network-based hardware-independent 3D tracking system interface
- Software engineer for KneeNav-TKR total knee replacement surgical navigation system
- Provided numerous contributions to Image Overlay surgical heads-up display system
- Conducted numerous research projects in the area of medical image registration, accuracy validation, and 3D tracking

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute: Medical Robotics & Computer Assisted Surgery Group,Pittsburgh,PA
Part Time Undergraduate Research Programmer(2/97- 5/98)
- Created data collection / calibration package for NDI OptoTrak, 3D tracking system
- Created surface-based registration application for first round of HipNav surgical testing
- Wrote software to support research in the areas of surgical accuracy, intraoperative anatomic motion, and 3D tracking

Brookhaven National Laboratories: Structural Biology Department,Upton, New York
Full time Software Engineer (5/95-8/95)
- Software engineer for X-ray diffraction crystallography beamline software at the National Synchrotron Light Source

Global Recycling Network ,Brookhaven, New York
Full Time Software Developer (5/94-8/94)
- Software designer for web-based interactive applications

Brookhaven National Laboratories: Structural Biology Department,Upton, New York
Part Time Software Developer and Intern (6/93-8/93)
- Designed computer interface and control program for monochromator system in laboratory's high flux beam reactor

Bureau of Cooperative Educational Services, Patchogue, New York
Assistant teacher for robotics/rocketry summer class (6/91-8/91)
- Designed computer interface procedures for WAO sensory robot. 
- Interfaced various self-contained robotic devices with an Apple IIC computer to assist students in programming them
- Gave lectures on robotic theory and interface design

Education

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
BS in Computer Science with minor in Physics, Grad May, 98 w/ College Honors
Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
MS in Robotics, Grad Dec. 99

Technical Skills

Programming Languages
Advanced C/C++, Java/J2ME, OpenGL, Flash/Actionscript
Intermediate Matlab, TCL/Expect/Tk, PERL, LISP, ML, Prolog

Areas of Expertise
Mobile Device Software Development
Spatial Transformations, Kinematics
Surface/Model Rendering, Volume-Based Rendering
Object-Oriented Software Engineering, Large-Scale Software Design
User-Interface Design

Awards

Carnegie Mellon Undergraduate Research Office SURG Grant
For Robotic Bipedal Walking Project

Hip Society Otto AuFranc Award
Image guided navigation system to measure intraoperatively acetabular implant alignment (abstract)

Medical Robotics Technology Center (MRTC)
Research Fellowship
Hobbies

Mobilitee.org
Founder / Lead Contributor (4/05 - present)
- Small online blog to contribute to discussions in the mobile development community

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Club
President ('98), Software engineer (8/94 - 5/98)
- Created gait control program and Graphical User Interface system for "Sidewinder" robot 
- Took third place in the 1996 Tenth Annual SAE Walking Machine Decathlon in Montreal, Canada 
- Developed high and mid-level software architectures and vision system for"Jim-1" robot
- Wrote grant proposal that won $20K funding for '98-'99
-- This funding and design of "Jim-1", led to "Jim-2" robot obtaining world record SAE Walking Machine Decathlon score

Carnegie Mellon Electronic Media Organization
Member (8/98 - 5/02)
- Several concert hall and dance club live performances
- Music from first album has appeared on the MTV show "Undressed"
- Held lectures on audio synthesis principles, studio recording techniques, and live performance of electronic music

Publications
(Partial list)

Structural Biology Research Software:

J.M. Skinner, R.S. LaBarca, R.M. Sweet. "A User-Extensible Graphical User Interface for Control of Either Instrument-Control Program, ACE or SPEC," Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. A 383 (1996) 627-630.

J.M. Skinner, R.S. LaBarca, R.M. Sweet, "TCL/Tk in the Development of User-Extensible Graphical User Interfaces," USENIX 1996 TCL/Tk Conference Paper.
Download: Usenix Publication Link

Mobile Robotics:

Carnegie Mellon Univ. Robotics Club. "Sidewinder II," Society of Automotive Engineers Walking Machine Decathlon white paper. 1996.
Download: ps [650 KB]

R.S. LaBarca, G.F. Brisson, P. Sand, J.W. Hurst, C.F. Reverte, M. Ungerer. "Jim: An Intelligent Continuous-Motion Frame-Walking Robot," Society of Automotive Engineers Walking Machine Decathlon white paper. 1998.
Download: MSWord 97 [823 KB]

R.S. LaBarca. "Towards Robotic Bipedal Walking: An Experimental System for Designing Control Software for Dynamically Stable Robots," School of Computer Science Undergraduate Research Thesis. 1998.
Referenced in Sony Corp.'s Bipedal Abulation Control Patent
Download: MSWord 97 [3.5 MB]

Medical Robotics / Computer-Assisted Surgery:

A. DiGioia, B. Jaramaz, M. Blackwell, D. Simon, F. Morgan, J. Moody, C. Nikou, B. Colgan, C. Aston, R. LaBarca, E. Kischell, and T. Kanade, "An Image Guided Navigation System for Accurate Alignment in Total Hip Replacement Surgery". tech. report CMU-RI-TR-98-18, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA, 1998.

Jaramaz B, Nikou C, Levison T, DiGioia A, LaBarca R: "CupAlign: Computer-Assisted Postoperative Radiographic Measurement of Acetabular Components Following Total Hip Arthroplasty," Lecture Notes In Computer Science; Vol. 1679: Proceedings of the Second International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, p876-882.

DiGioia AM III, Jaramaz B, Nikou C, LaBarca RS, Moody JE, Colgan B: "Surgical Navigation for Total Hip Replacement with the Use of HipNav," Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp.3-8, January 2000.

Digioia AM, Jaramaz B, Colgan B, Moody JE, Nikou C, LaBarca R: "Image Guided Surgical Navigation for Total Hip Replacement," 4th International Symposium on Computer Assisted Surgery, Davos, Switzerland, March 17-19 1999.

Digioia AM, Jaramaz B, Blackwell M, Simon D, Morgan F, Moody J, Nikou C, Colgan B, Aston C, LaBarca R, Kischell E, Kanade T: "Using HipNav as a Measurement Tool: Inherent Inaccuracies of Current Mechanical Guides," Third Annual North American Program on Computer Assisted Orthopaedica Surgery (CAOS/USA '99), Pittsburgh, PA, June 1999.

DiGioia AM III, Jaramaz B, Nikou C, LaBarca RS, Moody JE, Colgan B: "Image Guided and Surgical Navigation for Hip Reconstruction," VIIth Annual Symposium Critical Issues in Surgery: Image Guided Surgery, Computer Assisted Surgery, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, December 9-11, 1999.

DiGioia AM III, Jaramaz B, Moody JE, Nikou C, LaBarca RS: "Mechanical Acetabular Alignment Guides: Inherent Inaccuracy," The Millennium Symposium on Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery, (CAOS/Davos), Davos, Switzerland, February 17-19, 2000.

LaBarca RS, Jaramaz B, DiGioia AM, Nikou C, Cassenti L: "Development of Femoral Guidance and Intraoperative Range of Motion Simulation for the HipNav System," The Millennium Symposium on Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery, (CAOS/Davos), Davos, Switzerland, February 17-19, 2000.

Picard F, Moody JE, Martinek V, Fu F, Rytel M, LaBarca RS, Nikou C, Jaramaz B, DiGioia A: "Computer Assisted ACL Reconstruction Surgery: Assessment of Two Techniques of Graft Position in ACL Reconstruction," Fourth Annual North American Program on Computer Assisted Orthopadic Surgery, (CAOS/USA 2000), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 2000.

Jaramaz B, LaBarca R, DiGioia A, Moody JE, Picard F, Nikou C: "HipNav Femur - Development of a Complete THR Application," Fourth Annual North American Program on Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery, (CAOS/USA 2000), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 2000.

Nikou C, LaBarca R, Jaramaz B, Moody JE, Picard F, DiGioia A: "Hybrid Reality Visualization Devices," Fourth Annual North American Program on Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery, (CAOS/USA 2000), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 2000.

DiGioia AM, Moody JE, LaBarca RS, Nikou C, Jaramaz B: "Clinical Measurements of Acetabular Component Orientation Using Surgical Navigation Technologies," The 13th Annual Symposium of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, Berlin, Germany, September 20 - 23, 2000.

Picard F, DiGioia A, Sell D, Moody J, Jaramaz B, Nikou C, LaBarca RS: "Computer-Assisted TKR Navigation: Introperative Measurements of Alignment and Soft Tissue Balancing," The 13th Annual Symposium of the International Society for Technology in Arthroplasty, Berlin, Germany, September 20 - 23, 2000.

Picard F, Moody JR, Jaramaz B, Digioia A, Nikou C, LaBarca RS: "A Classification Proposal for Computer-Assisted Knee Systems," Lecture Notes In Computer Science; Vol. 1935: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, p1145-1151.

Picard F, Moody J, Martinek V, Fu F, Rytel M, Nikou C, LaBarca RS, Jaramaz B, DiGioia A: "A Computer-Assisted ACL Reconstruction System Assessment of Two Techniques of Graft Positioning in ACL Reconstruction," Lecture Notes In Computer Science; Vol. 1935: Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention p1136-1144.

DiGioia A, Jaramaz B, Nikou C, LaBarca R: "Unreliability of Mechanical Acetabular Alignment Guides and Ways to Improve Alignment," Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society, Fall Scientific Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 9-11, 2000.

Amin DV, Kanade T, Jaramaz B, DiGioia A, Nikou C, LaBarca RS, Moody JE: "Calibration Method for Determining the Physical Location of the Ultrasound Image Plane," Lecture Notes In Computer Science; Vol. 220: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, p940-947.

DiGioia AM, Jaramaz B, Moody JE, Levison TJ, LaBarca RS, Nikou C: "Mini Incision THR Assisted with Surgical Navigation," 1st Annual Meeting, International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS-International), Davos, Switzerland, February 7-10, 2001.

DiGioia AM, Moody JE, LaBarca RS, Nikou C, Jaramaz B: "Clinical Measurements of Acetabular Component Orientation Using Surgical Navigation Technologies," 1st Annual Meeting, International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS-International), Davos, Switzerland, February 7-10, 2001.

Picard F, Moody JE, DiGioia AM, Martinek V, Fu F, Rytel M, Jaramaz B, LaBarca R, Nikou C: "KneeNav-ACL Computer Assisted Measurement Reliability," 1st Annual Meeting, International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS-International), Davos, Switzerland, February 7-10, 2001.

Amin DV, Kanade T, DiGioia AM III, Jaramaz B, Nikou C, LaBarca RS: "Ultrasound Based Registration of the Pelvic Bone Surface for Surgical Navigation," 1st Annual Meeting, International Society for Computer Assisted Orthopaedic Surgery (CAOS-International), Davos, Switzerland, February 7-10, 2001.



Last updated 2/06