METHOD FOR FABRICATION OF A SOFT-MATTER PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD

A fabrication process for soft - matter printed circuit boards is disclosed in which traces of liquid - phase Ga - In eutectic ( eGaIn ) are patterned with UV laser micromachining ( UVLM ) . The terminals of the elastomer - sealed LM circuit connect to the surface mounted chips through vertically aligned columns of eGaIn - coated ferromagnetic micro spheres that are embedded within an interfacial elastomer layer

SOFT , MULTILAYERED ELECTRONICS FOR WEARABLE DEVICES AND METHODS TO PRODUCE THE SAME

Disclosed herein is an efficient fabrication approach to create highly customizable wearable electronics through rapid laser machining and adhesion - controlled soft materials assembly . Well - aligned , multi - layered materials can be created from 2D and 3D elements that stretch and bend while seamlessly integrating with rigid components such as micro chip integrated circuits ( IC ) , discrete electrical components , and interconnects . These techniques are applied using commercially available materials . These materials and methods enable custom wearable electronics while offering versatility in design and functionality for a variety of bio - monitor ing applications

LOCAL CONTROL ROBOTIC SURGICAL DEVICES AND RELATED METHODS

The various robotic medical devices include robotic devices that are disposed within a body cavity and positioned using a support component disposed through an orifice or opening in the body cavity. Additional embodiments relate to devices having arms coupled to a device body wherein the device has a minimal profile such that the device can be easily inserted through smaller incisions in comparison to other devices without such a small profile. Further embodiments relate to methods of operating the above devices

SINGLE SITE ROBOTC DEVICE AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to various medical device components, including components that can be incor porated into robotic and/or in vivo medical devices. Certain embodiments include various medical devices for in vivo medical procedures

METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR SURGICAL ACCESS AND INSERTON

The various embodiments herein relate to systems, devices, and/or methods relating to Surgical procedures, and more specifically for accessing an insufflated cavity of a patient and/or positioning Surgical systems or devices into the cavity

Updated Perspectives on the Role of Biomechanics in COPD: Considerations for the Clinician

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate extra-pulmonary functional decline such as an increased prevalence of falls. Biomechanics offers insight into functional decline by examining mechanics of abnormal movement patterns. This review discusses biomechanics of functional outcomes, muscle mechanics, and breathing mechanics in patients with COPD as well as future directions and clinical perspectives. Patients with COPD demonstrate changes in their postural sway during quiet standing compared to controls, and these deficits are exacerbated when sensory information (eg, eyes closed) is manipulated. If standing balance is disrupted with a perturbation, patients with COPD are slower to return to baseline and their muscle activity is differential from controls. When walking, patients with COPD appear to adopt a gait pattern that may increase stability (eg, shorter and wider steps, decreased gait speed) in addition to altered gait variability. Biomechanical muscle mechanics (ie, tension, extensibility, elasticity, and irritability) alterations with COPD are not well documented, with relatively few articles investigating these properties. On the other hand, dyssynchronous motion of the abdomen and rib cage while breathing is well documented in patients with COPD. Newer biomechanical technologies have allowed for estimation of regional, compartmental, lung volumes during activity such as exercise, as well as respiratory muscle activation during breathing. Future directions of biomechanical analyses in COPD are trending toward wearable sensors, big data, and cloud computing. Each of these offers unique opportunities as well as challenges. Advanced analytics of sensor data can offer insight into the health of a system by quantifying complexity or fluctuations in patterns of movement, as healthy systems demonstrate flexibility and are thus adaptable to changing conditions. Biomechanics may offer clinical utility in prediction of 30-day readmissions, identifying disease severity, and patient monitoring. Biomechanics is complementary to other assessments, capturing what patients do, as well as their capability

Haptic Sensing for Use in Miniature In-Vivo Robotic Grasping Tasks

Surgical procedures have been improved greatly through the use of minimally invasive techniques. These techniques allow the surgeon access to the abdomen of the body without the necessity of a large incision. The same reasons that allow laparoscopic procedures to produce limited scarring and reduced risk of infection hamper the surgeon. Passing long rigid tools through the skin requires advanced training for accurate control of the tools. As found by MacFarlane in An improvement on laparoscopic procedures is the implementation of surgical robots. This route can return the intuitive nature of open surgeries through providing the surgeon direct control over the tool tip, while providing a stable, reliable platform. Through these robots and their respective human interfaces, the potential for passing on haptic information, such as grasping force, can be realized. The user interface component of the system is well understood and accepted, but the initial sensing of the applied force can lead to difficulties. The da Vinci V R S Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) is the most widely used system in US for gastrointestinal procedures. This robot, even with its success relies on the surgeons experience to control the level of forces applied to the respective tissues. The da Vinci system is very large and has space if force feedback is ever desired, but in miniature surgical robots that are meant for complete insertion into the patient, space is limited. It is the forearm of a robot such as described in There have been efforts to augment the surgeons sense of touch by measuring the forces applied to laparoscopic tools under manual manipulation. The approaches in [3] and [4] have created systems that are capable of measuring the forces either directly, on the grasper itself, as well as indirectly, measured on the handle or drive system. Direct methods of sensing on the graspers can lead to unfamiliar grasper geometries as well as difficulties for sterilization. Indirect measurement is more practical for robotic applications, but due to the necessary space and the desired coupling of tool rotation and actuation, measurement of the drive rod directly can cause the overall forearm size and complexity to grow unacceptably. When a focus on grasping force is taken, Puangmali in [5] discusses several different methods for indirect and direct sensing, including optical-and displacement-based sensing. These methods were considered for their practicality in a miniature system. Indirect measurement of the applied force was chosen for both its potential size as well as its ability to be applied on a coupled drive configuration. In this paper, the initial testing of an in-line, self-contained force-sensing robotic grasper for use on miniature surgical robotic platforms is presented. This grasper has been tested in five different grasping situations, with the corresponding curves presented here as a measure of its effectiveness. Based on the verification presented here, the system will be adapted to a package capable of in vivo testing. Methods A testbed was created, Due to the consistent input conditions on the motor for each test, the measured force on any material results in same maximum force applied. When testing, the crucial component is how the force ramps up from no load to this full load, and the characteristic curves that result. As shown in Results Several grasps were conducted with each of the five end conditions. The measurements were recorded at 50 Hz. Each of the trials for a given condition was adjusted laterally to accommodate different times of contact. Once the matching cases were aligned laterally, each trial for a particular case was averaged. The resulting averages were then filtered using a rolling average that accounts for the previous four readings. The result of this filtering demonstrates distinct trends for each class of material, as shown in The three cases that represent a rigid end condition (empty and thin/thick acrylic) all demonstrate the same steep loading curve a

Octopus-inspired adhesive skins for intelligent and rapidly switchable underwater adhesion

The octopus couples controllable adhesives with intricately embedded sensing, processing, and control to manipulate underwater objects. Current synthetic adhesive–based manipulators are typically manually operated without sensing or control and can be slow to activate and release adhesion, which limits system-level manipulation. Here, we couple switchable, octopus-inspired adhesives with embedded sensing, processing, and control for robust underwater manipulation. Adhesion strength is switched over 450× from the ON to OFF state in \u3c50 ms over many cycles with an actively controlled membrane. Systematic design of adhesive geometry enables adherence to nonideal surfaces with low preload and independent control of adhesive strength and adhesive toughness for strong and reliable attachment and easy release. Our bio-inspired nervous system detects objects and autonomously triggers the switchable adhesives. This is implemented into a wearable glove where an array of adhesives and sensors creates a biomimetic adhesive skin to manipulate diverse underwater objects

Design and Development of a Miniature \u3ci\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/i\u3e Surgical Robot with Distributed Motor Control for Laparoendoscopic Single-Site Surgery

Paradigm shifts in invasiveness, recovery time, cosmesis, and cost have been seen within the field of general surgery through major advances in surgical technology. Some of the most advanced types of general surgery now include Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), LaparoEndoscopic Single-Site (LESS) surgery, and Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). One of the newest and rapidly developing catalysts is robotic platforms. Such platforms have improved ergonomics and control, increased workspace and dexterity, and have surpassed the efficacy of many non-robotic platforms such as traditional laparoscopic surgical tools. This thesis presents the design and development of a four-degree-of-freedom (4- DOF) miniature in vivo surgical robot with distributed motor control for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery. The robotic platform consists of a two-armed robotic prototype, distributed motor control system, insufflated insertion device, and a remote surgeon interface. Advisor: Shane Farrito