Teleoperation of MRI-Compatible Robots with Hybrid Actuation and Haptic Feedback

Image guided surgery (IGS), which has been developing fast recently, benefits significantly from the superior accuracy of robots and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which is a great soft tissue imaging modality. Teleoperation is especially desired in the MRI because of the highly constrained space inside the closed-bore MRI and the lack of haptic feedback with the fully autonomous robotic systems. It also very well maintains the human in the loop that significantly enhances safety. This dissertation describes the development of teleoperation approaches and implementation on an example system for MRI with details of different key components. The dissertation firstly describes the general teleoperation architecture with modular software and hardware components. The MRI-compatible robot controller, driving technology as well as the robot navigation and control software are introduced. As a crucial step to determine the robot location inside the MRI, two methods of registration and tracking are discussed. The first method utilizes the existing Z shaped fiducial frame design but with a newly developed multi-image registration method which has higher accuracy with a smaller fiducial frame. The second method is a new fiducial design with a cylindrical shaped frame which is especially suitable for registration and tracking for needles. Alongside, a single-image based algorithm is developed to not only reach higher accuracy but also run faster. In addition, performance enhanced fiducial frame is also studied by integrating self-resonant coils. A surgical master-slave teleoperation system for the application of percutaneous interventional procedures under continuous MRI guidance is presented. The slave robot is a piezoelectric-actuated needle insertion robot with fiber optic force sensor integrated. The master robot is a pneumatic-driven haptic device which not only controls the position of the slave robot, but also renders the force associated with needle placement interventions to the surgeon. Both of master and slave robots mechanical design, kinematics, force sensing and feedback technologies are discussed. Force and position tracking results of the master-slave robot are demonstrated to validate the tracking performance of the integrated system. MRI compatibility is evaluated extensively. Teleoperated needle steering is also demonstrated under live MR imaging. A control system of a clinical grade MRI-compatible parallel 4-DOF surgical manipulator for minimally invasive in-bore prostate percutaneous interventions through the patient’s perineum is discussed in the end. The proposed manipulator takes advantage of four sliders actuated by piezoelectric motors and incremental rotary encoders, which are compatible with the MRI environment. Two generations of optical limit switches are designed to provide better safety features for real clinical use. The performance of both generations of the limit switch is tested. MRI guided accuracy and MRI-compatibility of whole robotic system is also evaluated. Two clinical prostate biopsy cases have been conducted with this assistive robot

Anthropomorphic surgical system for soft tissue robot-assisted surgery

Over the past century, abdominal surgery has seen a rapid transition from open procedures to less invasive methods such as laparoscopy and robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (R-A MIS). These procedures have significantly decreased blood loss, postoperative morbidity and length of hospital stay in comparison with open surgery. R-A MIS has offered refined accuracy and more ergonomic instruments for surgeons, further minimising trauma to the patient.This thesis aims to investigate, design and prototype a novel system for R-A MIS that will provide more natural and intuitive manipulation of soft tissues and, at the same time, increase the surgeon's dexterity. The thesis reviews related work on surgical systems and discusses the requirements for designing surgical instrumentation. From the background research conducted in this thesis, it is clear that training surgeons in MIS procedures is becoming increasingly long and arduous. Furthermore, most available systems adopt a design similar to conventional laparoscopic instruments or focus on different techniques with debatable benefits. The system proposed in this thesis not only aims to reduce the training time for surgeons but also to improve the ergonomics of the procedure.In order to achieve this, a survey was conducted among surgeons, regarding their opinions on surgical training, surgical systems, how satisfied they are with them and how easy they are to use. A concept for MIS robotic instrumentation was then developed and a series of focus group meetings with surgeons were run to discuss it. The proposed system, named microAngelo, is an anthropomorphic master-slave system that comprises a three-digit miniature hand that can be controlled using the master, a three-digit sensory exoskeleton. While multi-fingered robotic hands have been developed for decades, none have been used for surgical operations. As the system has a human centred design, its relation to the human hand is discussed. Prototypes of both the master and the slave have been developed and their design and mechanisms is demonstrated. The accuracy and repeatability of the master as well as the accuracy and force capabilities of the slave are tested and discussed

Expert-in-the-Loop Multilateral Telerobotics for Haptics-Enabled Motor Function and Skills Development

Among medical robotics applications are Robotics-Assisted Mirror Rehabilitation Therapy (RAMRT) and Minimally-Invasive Surgical Training (RAMIST) that extensively rely on motor function development. Haptics-enabled expert-in-the-loop motor function development for such applications is made possible through multilateral telerobotic frameworks. While several studies have validated the benefits of haptic interaction with an expert in motor learning, contradictory results have also been reported. This emphasizes the need for further in-depth studies on the nature of human motor learning through haptic guidance and interaction. The objective of this study was to design and evaluate expert-in-the-loop multilateral telerobotic frameworks with stable and human-safe control loops that enable adaptive “hand-over-hand” haptic guidance for RAMRT and RAMIST. The first prerequisite for such frameworks is active involvement of the patient or trainee, which requires the closed-loop system to remain stable in the presence of an adaptable time-varying dominance factor. To this end, a wave-variable controller is proposed in this study for conventional trilateral teleoperation systems such that system stability is guaranteed in the presence of a time-varying dominance factor and communication delay. Similar to other wave-variable approaches, the controller is initially developed for the Velocity-force Domain (VD) based on the well-known passivity assumption on the human arm in VD. The controller can be applied straightforwardly to the Position-force Domain (PD), eliminating position-error accumulation and position drift, provided that passivity of the human arm in PD is addressed. However, the latter has been ignored in the literature. Therefore, in this study, passivity of the human arm in PD is investigated using mathematical analysis, experimentation as well as user studies involving 12 participants and 48 trials. The results, in conjunction with the proposed wave-variables, can be used to guarantee closed-loop PD stability of the supervised trilateral teleoperation system in its classical format. The classic dual-user teleoperation architecture does not, however, fully satisfy the requirements for properly imparting motor function (skills) in RAMRT (RAMIST). Consequently, the next part of this study focuses on designing novel supervised trilateral frameworks for providing motor learning in RAMRT and RAMIST, each customized according to the requirements of the application. The framework proposed for RAMRT includes the following features: a) therapist-in-the-loop mirror therapy; b) haptic feedback to the therapist from the patient side; c) assist-as-needed therapy realized through an adaptive Guidance Virtual Fixture (GVF); and d) real-time task-independent and patient-specific motor-function assessment. Closed-loop stability of the proposed framework is investigated using a combination of the Circle Criterion and the Small-Gain Theorem. The stability analysis addresses the instabilities caused by: a) communication delays between the therapist and the patient, facilitating haptics-enabled tele- or in-home rehabilitation; and b) the integration of the time-varying nonlinear GVF element into the delayed system. The platform is experimentally evaluated on a trilateral rehabilitation setup consisting of two Quanser rehabilitation robots and one Quanser HD2 robot. The framework proposed for RAMIST includes the following features: a) haptics-enabled expert-in-the-loop surgical training; b) adaptive expertise-oriented training, realized through a Fuzzy Interface System, which actively engages the trainees while providing them with appropriate skills-oriented levels of training; and c) task-independent skills assessment. Closed-loop stability of the architecture is analyzed using the Circle Criterion in the presence and absence of haptic feedback of tool-tissue interactions. In addition to the time-varying elements of the system, the stability analysis approach also addresses communication delays, facilitating tele-surgical training. The platform is implemented on a dual-console surgical setup consisting of the classic da Vinci surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA), integrated with the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) motor controllers, and the dV-Trainer master console (Mimic Technology Inc., Seattle, WA). In order to save on the expert\u27s (therapist\u27s) time, dual-console architectures can also be expanded to accommodate simultaneous training (rehabilitation) for multiple trainees (patients). As the first step in doing this, the last part of this thesis focuses on the development of a multi-master/single-slave telerobotic framework, along with controller design and closed-loop stability analysis in the presence of communication delays. Various parts of this study are supported with a number of experimental implementations and evaluations. The outcomes of this research include multilateral telerobotic testbeds for further studies on the nature of human motor learning and retention through haptic guidance and interaction. They also enable investigation of the impact of communication time delays on supervised haptics-enabled motor function improvement through tele-rehabilitation and mentoring

Medical robots with potential applications in participatory and opportunistic remote sensing: A review

Among numerous applications of medical robotics, this paper concentrates on the design, optimal use and maintenance of the related technologies in the context of healthcare, rehabilitation and assistive robotics, and provides a comprehensive review of the latest advancements in the foregoing field of science and technology, while extensively dealing with the possible applications of participatory and opportunistic mobile sensing in the aforementioned domains. The main motivation for the latter choice is the variety of such applications in the settings having partial contributions to functionalities such as artery, radiosurgery, neurosurgery and vascular intervention. From a broad perspective, the aforementioned applications can be realized via various strategies and devices benefiting from detachable drives, intelligent robots, human-centric sensing and computing, miniature and micro-robots. Throughout the paper tens of subjects, including sensor-fusion, kinematic, dynamic and 3D tissue models are discussed based on the existing literature on the state-of-the-art technologies. In addition, from a managerial perspective, topics such as safety monitoring, security, privacy and evolutionary optimization of the operational efficiency are reviewed

Modeling, Analysis, Force Sensing and Control of Continuum Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery

This dissertation describes design, modeling and application of continuum robotics for surgical applications, specifically parallel continuum robots (PCRs) and concentric tube manipulators (CTMs). The introduction of robotics into surgical applications has allowed for a greater degree of precision, less invasive access to more remote surgical sites, and user-intuitive interfaces with enhanced vision systems. The most recent developments have been in the space of continuum robots, whose exible structure create an inherent safety factor when in contact with fragile tissues. The design challenges that exist involve balancing size and strength of the manipulators, controlling the manipulators over long transmission pathways, and incorporating force sensing and feedback from the manipulators to the user. Contributions presented in this work include: (1) prototyping, design, force sensing, and force control investigations of PCRs, and (2) prototyping of a concentric tube manipulator for use in a standard colonoscope. A general kinetostatic model is presented for PCRs along with identification of multiple physical constraints encountered in design and construction. Design considerations and manipulator capabilities are examined in the form of matrix metrics and ellipsoid representations. Finally, force sensing and control are explored and experimental results are provided showing the accuracy of force estimates based on actuation force measurements and control capabilities. An overview of the design requirements, manipulator construction, analysis and experimental results are provided for a CTM used as a tool manipulator in a traditional colonoscope. Currently, tools used in colonoscopic procedures are straight and exit the front of the scope with 1 DOF of operation (jaws of a grasper, tightening of a loop, etc.). This research shows that with a CTM deployed, the dexterity of these tools can be increased dramatically, increasing accuracy of tool operation, ease of use and safety of the overall procedure. The prototype investigated in this work allows for multiple tools to be used during a single procedure. Experimental results show the feasibility and advantages of the newly-designed manipulators

Augmented Reality Navigation Interfaces Improve Human Performance In End-Effector Controlled Telerobotics

On the International Space Station (ISS) and space shuttles, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has used robotic manipulators extensively to perform payload handling and maintenance tasks. Teleoperating robots require expert skills and optimal performance is crucial to mission completion and crew safety. Degradation in performance is observed when manual control is mediated through remote camera views, resulting in poor end-effector navigation quality and extended task completion times. This thesis explores the application of three-dimensional augmented reality (AR) interfaces specifically designed to improve human performance during end-effector controlled teleoperations. A modular telerobotic test bed was developed for this purpose and several experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, the effect of camera placement on end-effector manipulation performance was evaluated. Results show that increasing misalignment between the displayed end-effector and hand-controller axes (display-control misalignments) increases the time required to process a movement input. Simple AR movement cues were found to mitigate the adverse effects of camera-based teleoperation and made performance invariant to misalignment. Applying these movement cues to payload transport tasks correspondingly demonstrated improvements in free-space navigation quality over conventional end-effector control using multiple cameras. Collision-free teleoperations are also a critical requirement in space. To help the operators guide robots safely, a novel method was evaluated. Navigation plans computed by a planning agent are presented to the operator sequentially through an AR interface. The plans in combination with the interface allow the operator to guide the end-effector through collision-free regions in the remote environment safely. Experimental results show significant benefits in control performance including reduced path deviation and travel distance. Overall, the results show that AR interfaces can improve performance during manual control of remote robots and have tremendous potential in current and future teleoperated space robotic systems; as well as in contemporary military and surgical applications

Design and Development of a Reusable Component-based Architecture for Surgical Robotics

Robotics is a growing field that is reaching a wide variety of application areas. The employment of robots for the implementation of a task is not anymore a prerogative of certain branches of the industry. In fact, more and more frequently robots are utilized to support humans during the execution of an assignment and this requires a flexible system, able to adapt to the environment. Moreover, given the number of contexts in which robots are used, there is an increasing need for modular and reusable tools for the description of tasks. The robotic applications considered in this work are mainly related to robotic surgery, since minimally invasive surgery is a challenging field in which the employment of robots has enabled significant improvements in terms of quality of the procedures. This study provides a set of patterns aimed to the design and the development of a component-based software architecture for the description of a complex robotic task. The best practices illustrated in this work are built on the concept of separation of concerns and have been defined to promote the creation of a reusable framework of components for the robotics. The proposed patterns are first introduced and then applied to different case studies to demonstrate their adaptability to describe a complex robotics task in different application domains

Dynamic virtual reality user interface for teleoperation of heterogeneous robot teams

This research investigates the possibility to improve current teleoperation control for heterogeneous robot teams using modern Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) techniques such as Virtual Reality. It proposes a dynamic teleoperation Virtual Reality User Interface (VRUI) framework to improve the current approach to teleoperating heterogeneous robot teams

Design and Development of a Reusable Component-based Architecture for Surgical Robotics

Robotics is a growing field that is reaching a wide variety of application areas. The employment of robots for the implementation of a task is not anymore a prerogative of certain branches of the industry. In fact, more and more frequently robots are utilized to support humans during the execution of an assignment and this requires a flexible system, able to adapt to the environment. Moreover, given the number of contexts in which robots are used, there is an increasing need for modular and reusable tools for the description of tasks. The robotic applications considered in this work are mainly related to robotic surgery, since minimally invasive surgery is a challenging field in which the employment of robots has enabled significant improvements in terms of quality of the procedures. This study provides a set of patterns aimed to the design and the development of a component-based software architecture for the description of a complex robotic task. The best practices illustrated in this work are built on the concept of separation of concerns and have been defined to promote the creation of a reusable framework of components for the robotics. The proposed patterns are first introduced and then applied to different case studies to demonstrate their adaptability to describe a complex robotics task in different application domains

Proceedings of the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics, volume 5

Papers presented at the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics are compiled. The theme of the conference was man-machine collaboration in space. The conference provided a forum for researchers and engineers to exchange ideas on the research and development required for the application of telerobotics technology to the space systems planned for the 1990's and beyond. Volume 5 contains papers related to the following subject areas: robot arm modeling and control, special topics in telerobotics, telerobotic space operations, manipulator control, flight experiment concepts, manipulator coordination, issues in artificial intelligence systems, and research activities at the Johnson Space Center