Tiny Tech, Big Impact: Glaukos Team Automates Vision-Saving Implants

A long-time supporter of the University of San Diego's (USD) Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, Glaukos Corporation is a leader in ophthalmics specializing in the development of novel therapies that help prevent vision loss or blindness caused by glaucoma — a disease that damages the optic nerve due to high eye pressure.

Glaucoma patients often use medicated eye drops to manage eye pressure, but consistent, accurate dosing is difficult. To address this challenge, Glaukos developed iDose TR, a tiny implant (2 mm x 0.5 mm) that gradually releases medication over time. The existing assembly process of these implants is slow and labor-intensive, requiring technicians to use microscopes and tweezers.

Enter an interdisciplinary team of senior engineering students from USD’s class of 2025: Nicolette Agajanian (IntE), Daniel Fox (ME), Advika Pillai (IntE), Daniel Quarshie (ME), Anselmo Talla (ME) and Ben Washburn (ME). The industry-sponsored group was tasked with automating the construction of the iDose TR using a robot provided by Glaukos. 

The team’s senior design project involves significant work in coding the robot, designing its end effector, or "hand,” to precisely assemble each component of the tiny implant. Throughout this year-long process, the team focused on optimizing the robotic system to maximize speed and efficiency. 

Quarshie noted the valuable industry exposure gained, stating, "This project was interesting because I got direct experience with how robotics is utilized within the industry. I now know how to comfortably use the Epson RC+ software to control Epson robots, a skill I don't think I would learn anywhere else.”

The project taught Talla the importance of detailed planning and iterative prototyping in micro-scale design. He highlights the unique challenges of working at such a minute scale: "Working at the millimeter scale presents unique challenges. Precision, tolerances and material behavior all become significantly more critical.” 

USD’s Belanich Engineering Center offers cutting-edge tools, equipment and technology within innovative spaces that mirror the engineering life cycle. This environment encourages experimentation and collaboration, where students are empowered to learn from setbacks. As Fox explains: "Working on the Glaukos project taught me how to navigate the design process for an open-ended problem, where there’s no single right answer. I gained a much deeper understanding of how real-world engineering unfolds through iteration, collaboration and learning from failure.”

Reflecting on the personal growth the project offered, Agajanian shares, "This project really pushed me to step outside of my comfort zone and dive into engineering techniques I hadn't used before. I especially loved having the freedom to think creatively and develop different solutions for a meaningful, real-world problem; it made the experience both exciting and deeply fulfilling.” 

Pillai found that collaboratively working with Glaukos provided her with valuable insight into how industry operates. "It was extremely fulfilling seeing our preliminary designs come to life at our end stages, considering the work we put into designing and testing…this experience made me excited to be an engineer!”

As these graduating seniors prepare to enter the workforce, USD’s industry-sponsored projects provide invaluable real-world experience and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on companies — and, in this case, patients’ lives. 

Washburn captures the team’s enthusiasm, saying, "This project interested me because nothing like what we're doing exists. I wasn't constrained to only designing parts in SolidWorks and machining them. Instead, I got to build electrical circuits, code robots and invent new parts… I knew that being a part of this problem would be a big challenge, but it would also make a big impact.” 

Faculty lead on the project, Venkat Shastri, PhD, explains that any project involving the assembly of parts whose dimensions are in the millimeter range can be a significant challenge: "When you think of Swiss watches with tiny gears, you know that a person with special skills put it together. Now, take that to the next step and consider how to automate this assembly using robots, and what you have is the problem that the students were asked to solve in the Glaukos project. I am quite sure that their learning experiences during the year will stay with them through their engineering careers.”

The partnership between Glaukos and the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering exemplifies the powerful synergy between industry innovation and academic ingenuity. By entrusting a complex automation challenge to a team of dedicated senior engineering students, Glaukos is not only exploring solutions to enhance their manufacturing processes, but also providing invaluable hands-on experience for these aspiring engineers to become true Changemakers.

— By Michelle Sztupkay