Our Story

In December 2014 two leading Orthopaedic Surgeons Professor Riaz Khan, Professor Daniel Fick along with Associate Professor Brett Robertson, a biomedical scientist and healthcare management executive, combined their knowledge and experience to explore ways to modernise the process of orthopaedic joint replacement which has relied on essentially the same technology since inception.

The main 3 limitations of current joint replacement being:

  • accuracy of mechanical cuts made by surgeons using bone saws,
  • strength of the bone-implant (prosthesis) interface, and
  • stability of the postoperative joint through having to sacrifice the main ligaments during the process of bone cutting.

Even as robotically assisted joint replacement surgery started to become available a discrepancy was evident between the advanced technology of the robotic arm and its traditional mechanical bone cutting tool.

The significant potential to improve patient outcomes following joint replacement by transitioning away from mechanical bone cutting technology into the digital era, with the bold vision AIRO now termed Directed Energy Osteotomy™ (DEO), was an undertaking worthy of pursuit.

By March 2015, they founded the Australian Institute of Robotic Orthopaedics Pty Ltd (AIRO).

Leadership

A/Prof. Brett Robertson

A/Prof. Brett Robertson
Managing Director/CEO
Brett Robertson LinkedIn Profile

Prof. Riaz Khan

Prof. Riaz Khan
Chairman/Orthopaedic Surgeon
Riaz Khan LinkedIn Profile

Richard Chipper

Richard Chipper
Chief Technology Officer
Richard Chipper LinkedIn Profile

Claire Mortoni

Claire Mortoni
Chief Financial Officer
Claire Mortoni LinkedIn Profile

Christian Reyboz

Christian Reyboz
Board Advisor
Christian Reyboz LinkedIn Profile

Peter Traianou

Peter Traianou
Board Advisor
Peter Traianou LinkedIn Profile

Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee

Dr David Liu

Dr David Liu
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr David Liu LinkedIn Profile

Dr Benjamin Hewitt

Dr Benjamin Hewitt
Orthopaedic Surgeon

Dr Michael Facek

Dr Michael Facek
Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr Michael Facek LinkedIn Profile

Team

Samuel Withers

Sam Withers
Senior Mechatronic Engineer
Sam Withers LinkedIn Profile

Nick Dumas

Nick Dumas
Senior Software/Electronic Engineer
Nick Dumas LinkedIn Profile

Ryan Breuer

Ryan Breuer
Computer Systems Engineer
Ryan Breuer LinkedIn Profile

Maisha Zaman

Maisha Zaman
Biomedical Engineer
Maisha Zaman LinkedIn Profile

Fraser Loneragan

Fraser Loneragan
Software Engineer
Fraser Loneragan LinkedIn Profile

Jake Lorkin

Jake Lorkin
Electrical and Computer Science Engineer
Jake Lorkin LinkedIn Profile

Josh Troy

Josh Troy
Physicist
Josh Troy LinkedIn Profile

Past Fellows, Scholars and Interns

Jake Lorkin

Jake Lorkin
2023 CEEDWA Scholar
Jake Lorkin LinkedIn Profile

Monet Farrugia

Monet Farrugia
2023 Intern Researcher
Monet Farrugia LinkedIn Profile

Carl Alveres

Carl Alveres
2023 Intern Researcher
Carl Alveres LinkedIn Profile

Agnibho Gangopadhyay

Agnibho Gangopadhyay
2023 Intern Researcher
Agnibho Gangopadhyay LinkedIn Profile

Vanessa Ma

Vanessa Ma
2022 CEEDWA Scholar
Vanessa Ma LinkedIn Profile

Shefali Tantry

Shefali Tantry
2022 Intern Researcher
Shefali Tantry LinkedIn Profile

Ankush Dugar

Ankush Dugar
2022 Intern Researcher
Ankush Dugar LinkedIn Profile

Josh Troy

Josh Troy
2022 Intern Researcher
Josh Troy LinkedIn Profile

Evan Savigni

Evan Savigni
2022 Intern Researcher
Evan Savigni LinkedIn Profile

Dr Rajitha Gunaratne

Dr Rajitha Gunaratne
Fellow
Dr Rajitha Gunaratne LinkedIn Profile

Dr Johannes Stock

Dr Johannes Stock
Fellow

Global Knowledge Partners

Since inception, AIRO has driven a strategic local and global collaboration strategy, harnessing Australian expertise and augmenting it with knowledge from the very brightest international experts.

AIRO actively collaborates with experts in material science, artificial intelligence, optics and photonics, who are leaders in their respective fields, and have proven success commercialising their knowledge. AIRO’s partners include: