Computer- and robot-assisted Medical Intervention

Medical robotics includes assistive devices used by the physician in order to make his/her diagnostic or therapeutic practices easier and more efficient. This chapter focuses on such systems. It introduces the general field of Computer-Assisted Medical Interventions, its aims, its different components and describes the place of robots in that context. The evolutions in terms of general design and control paradigms in the development of medical robots are presented and issues specific to that application domain are discussed. A view of existing systems, on-going developments and future trends is given. A case-study is detailed. Other types of robotic help in the medical environment (such as for assisting a handicapped person, for rehabilitation of a patient or for replacement of some damaged/suppressed limbs or organs) are out of the scope of this chapter.Comment: Handbook of Automation, Shimon Nof (Ed.) (2009) 000-00

Robotic manipulators for single access surgery

This thesis explores the development of cooperative robotic manipulators for enhancing surgical precision and patient outcomes in single-access surgery and, specifically, Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM). During these procedures, surgeons manipulate a heavy set of instruments via a mechanical clamp inserted in the patient’s body through a surgical port, resulting in imprecise movements, increased patient risks, and increased operating time. Therefore, an articulated robotic manipulator with passive joints is initially introduced, featuring built-in position and force sensors in each joint and electronic joint brakes for instant lock/release capability. The articulated manipulator concept is further improved with motorised joints, evolving into an active tool holder. The joints allow the incorporation of advanced robotic capabilities such as ultra-lightweight gravity compensation and hands-on kinematic reconfiguration, which can optimise the placement of the tool holder in the operating theatre. Due to the enhanced sensing capabilities, the application of the active robotic manipulator was further explored in conjunction with advanced image guidance approaches such as endomicroscopy. Recent advances in probe-based optical imaging such as confocal endomicroscopy is making inroads in clinical uses. However, the challenging manipulation of imaging probes hinders their practical adoption. Therefore, a combination of the fully cooperative robotic manipulator with a high-speed scanning endomicroscopy instrument is presented, simplifying the incorporation of optical biopsy techniques in routine surgical workflows. Finally, another embodiment of a cooperative robotic manipulator is presented as an input interface to control a highly-articulated robotic instrument for TEM. This master-slave interface alleviates the drawbacks of traditional master-slave devices, e.g., using clutching mechanics to compensate for the mismatch between slave and master workspaces, and the lack of intuitive manipulation feedback, e.g. joint limits, to the user. To address those drawbacks a joint-space robotic manipulator is proposed emulating the kinematic structure of the flexible robotic instrument under control.Open Acces

Lunar Polar Coring Lander

Plans to build a lunar base are presently being studied with a number of considerations. One of the most important considerations is qualifying the presence of water on the Moon. The existence of water on the Moon implies that future lunar settlements may be able to use this resource to produce things such as drinking water and rocket fuel. Due to the very high cost of transporting these materials to the Moon, in situ production could save billions of dollars in operating costs of the lunar base. Scientists have suggested that the polar regions of the Moon may contain some amounts of water ice in the regolith. Six possible mission scenarios are suggested which would allow lunar polar soil samples to be collected for analysis. The options presented are: remote sensing satellite, two unmanned robotic lunar coring missions (one is a sample return and one is a data return only), two combined manned and robotic polar coring missions, and one fully manned core retrieval mission. One of the combined manned and robotic missions has been singled out for detailed analysis. This mission proposes sending at least three unmanned robotic landers to the lunar pole to take core samples as deep as 15 meters. Upon successful completion of the coring operations, a manned mission would be sent to retrieve the samples and perform extensive experiments of the polar region. Man's first step in returning to the Moon is recommended to investigate the issue of lunar polar water. The potential benefits of lunar water more than warrant sending either astronauts, robots or both to the Moon before any permanent facility is constructed

A Review of Orbital Friction Stir Welding

Funding Information: The authors acknowledge the Portuguese Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI), trough the project SI I&DT (PROJETOS MOBILIZADORES), Nº 024534-“INFANTE-Microssatélite para Vigilância Marítima, Observação da Terra e IoT no contexto de constelações”, co-financed by PORTUGAL2020, through Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER). Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT–MCTES) for its financial support via the project UID/EMS/00667/2019 (UNIDEMI). Authors acknowledge funding by national funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication–i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Friction stir welding is a solid-state joining process widely used in several industrial applications. One of its variants, orbital friction stir welding, is of key importance in fundamental industries such as oil and gas and aerospace. For orbital friction stir welding, there is a need to develop not only new process parameters but also tools and ancillary mechanisms that can ensure sound, high-performing joints are obtained. This review assesses the current state of orbital friction stir welding, highlighting several key aspects related to this technology.publishersversionpublishe

Robotic Automation of In Vivo Two-Photon Targeted Whole-Cell Patch-Clamp Electrophysiology

Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological recording is a powerful technique for studying cellular function. While in vivo patch-clamp recording has recently benefited from automation, it is normally performed “blind,” meaning that throughput for sampling some genetically or morphologically defined cell types is unacceptably low. One solution to this problem is to use two-photon microscopy to target fluorescently labeled neurons. Combining this with robotic automation is difficult, however, as micropipette penetration induces tissue deformation, moving target cells from their initial location. Here we describe a platform for automated two-photon targeted patch-clamp recording, which solves this problem by making use of a closed loop visual servo algorithm. Our system keeps the target cell in focus while iteratively adjusting the pipette approach trajectory to compensate for tissue motion. We demonstrate platform validation with patch-clamp recordings from a variety of cells in the mouse neocortex and cerebellum

NASA Tech Briefs, August 1991

Topics: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences

A flexible access platform for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery

Advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) are driven by the clinical demand to reduce the invasiveness of surgical procedures so patients undergo less trauma and experience faster recoveries. These well documented benefits of MIS have been achieved through parallel advances in the technology and instrumentation used during procedures. The new and evolving field of Flexible Access Surgery (FAS), where surgeons access the operative site through a single incision or a natural orifice incision, is being promoted as the next potential step in the evolution of surgery. In order to achieve similar levels of success and adoption as MIS, technology again has its role to play in developing new instruments to solve the unmet clinical challenges of FAS. As procedures become less invasive, these instruments should not just address the challenges presented by the complex access routes of FAS, but should also build on the recent advances in pre- and intraoperative imaging techniques to provide surgeons with new diagnostic and interventional decision making capabilities. The main focus of this thesis is the development and applications of a flexible robotic device that is capable of providing controlled flexibility along curved pathways inside the body. The principal component of the device is its modular mechatronic joint design which utilises an embedded micromotor-tendon actuation scheme to provide independently addressable degrees of freedom and three internal working channels. Connecting multiple modules together allows a seven degree-of-freedom (DoF) flexible access platform to be constructed. The platform is intended for use as a research test-bed to explore engineering and surgical challenges of FAS. Navigation of the platform is realised using a handheld controller optimised for functionality and ergonomics, or in a "hands-free" manner via a gaze contingent control framework. Under this framework, the operator's gaze fixation point is used as feedback to close the servo control loop. The feasibility and potential of integrating multi-spectral imaging capabilities into flexible robotic devices is also demonstrated. A force adaptive servoing mechanism is developed to simplify the deployment, and improve the consistency of probe-based optical imaging techniques by automatically controlling the contact force between the probe tip and target tissue. The thesis concludes with the description of two FAS case studies performed with the platform during in-vivo porcine experiments. These studies demonstrate the ability of the platform to perform large area explorations within the peritoneal cavity and to provide a stable base for the deployment of interventional instruments and imaging probes

Flexible robotic device for spinal surgery

Surgical robots have proliferated in recent years, with well-established benefits including: reduced patient trauma, shortened hospitalisation, and improved diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcome. Despite these benefits, many challenges in their development remain, including improved instrument control and ergonomics caused by rigid instrumentation and its associated fulcrum effect. Consequently, it is still extremely challenging to utilise such devices in cases that involve complex anatomical pathways such as the spinal column. The focus of this thesis is the development of a flexible robotic surgical cutting device capable of manoeuvring around the spinal column. The target application of the flexible surgical tool is the removal of cancerous tumours surrounding the spinal column, which cannot be excised completely using the straight surgical tools in use today; anterior and posterior sections of the spine must be accessible for complete tissue removal. A parallel robot platform with six degrees of freedom (6 DoFs) has been designed and fabricated to direct a flexible cutting tool to produce the necessary range of movements to reach anterior and posterior sections of the spinal column. A flexible water jet cutting system and a flexible mechanical drill, which may be assembled interchangeably with the flexible probe, have been developed and successfully tested experimentally. A model predicting the depth of cut by the water jet was developed and experimentally validated. A flexion probe that is able to guide the surgical cutting device around the spinal column has been fabricated and tested with human lumber model. Modelling and simulations show the capacity for the flexible surgical system to enable entering the posterior side of the human lumber model and bend around the vertebral body to reach the anterior side of the spinal column. A computer simulation with a full Graphical User Interface (GUI) was created and used to validate the system of inverse kinematic equations for the robot platform. The constraint controller and the inverse kinematics relations are both incorporated into the overall positional control structure of the robot, and have successfully established a haptic feedback controller for the 6 DoFs surgical probe, and effectively tested in vitro on spinal mock surgery. The flexible surgical system approached the surgery from the posterior side of the human lumber model and bend around the vertebral body to reach the anterior side of the spinal column. The flexible surgical robot removed 82% of mock cancerous tissue compared to 16% of tissue removed by the rigid tool.Open Acces

Instrument- Mounted Pressure-Sensing System For Surgical Applications

M.S. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017