66 research outputs found
Analysis of Comfort and Ergonomics for Clinical Work Environments
Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are a serious risk to workers' health in any work environment, and especially in clinical work places. These disorders are typically the result of prolonged exposure to non-ergonomic postures and the resulting discomfort in the workplace. Thus a continuous assessment of comfort and ergonomics is necessary. There are different techniques available to make such assessments, such as self-reports on perceived discomfort and observational scoring models based on the posture's relevant joint angles. These methods are popular in medical and industrial environments alike. However, there are uncertainties with regards to objectivity of these methods and whether they provide a full picture. This paper reports on a study about these methods and how they correlate with the activity of muscles involved in the task at hand. A wearable 4-channel electromyography (EMG) and joint angle estimation device with wireless transmission was made specifically for this study to allow continuous, long-term and real-time measurements and recording of activities. N=10 participants took part in an experiment involving a buzz-wire test at 3 different levels, with their muscle activity (EMG), joint angle scores (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment - RULA), self-reports of perceived discomfort (Borg scale) and performance score on the buzz-wire being recorded and compared. Results show that the Borg scale is not responsive to smaller changes in discomfort whereas RULA and EMG can be used to detect more detailed changes in discomfort, effort and ergonomics
Image Guided Robotic Radical Prostatectomy
We present results of early trials of a system to overlay
preoperative MRI onto endoscope video taken from a
daVinci endoscope system during robotic radical
prostatectomy. The endoscope is calibrated and tracked
so that the MRI can be overlaid in the same coordinate
system as the video data and projected onto the screen
with the correct camera parameters. The system has two
potential applications. The first is that it enables the
surgeon to easily refer to the preoperative MRI during
surgery. Secondly, it may serve as an initialisation for a
model to video registration method to enable the
preoperative data to be updated during the procedure.
The system has been trialled in five patients, with
overlay images provided to the surgeon during surgery
in two cases. Further trials are ongoing
Triple immunofluorescence labeling of atherosclerotic plaque components in apoE/LDLR -/- mice.
Comparative video-linked motion analyses of open, laparoscopic and robotic prostatectomy
243 IL-15 potentiates CD8 and NK effector cell expansion and tumour cell killing in the prostate cancer microenvironment
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