Researchers tested their magnet-tipped robot in a maze
Roboticists at the University of California San Diego have developed an affordable, easy to use system to track the location of flexible surgical robots inside the human body.
The system performs as well as current state of the art methods, but is much less expensive. Many current methods also require exposure to radiation, while this system does not.
The system was developed by Tania Morimoto, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego, and mechanical engineering Ph.D. student Connor Watson. Their findings are published in the April 2020 issue of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.
“Continuum medical robots work really well in highly constrained environments inside the body,” Morimoto said. “They’re inherently safer and more compliant than rigid tools. But it becomes a lot harder to track their location and their shape inside the body. And so if we are able track them more easily that would be a great benefit both to patients and surgeons.”
The researchers embedded a magnet in the tip of a flexible robot that can be used in delicate places inside the body, such as arterial passages in the brain. “We worked with a growing robot, which is a robot made of a very thin nylon that we invert, almost like a sock, and pressurize with a fluid which causes the robot to grow,” Watson said. Because the robot is soft and moves by growing, it has very little impact on its surroundings, making it ideal for use in medical settings.
The researchers then used existing magnet localization methods, which work very much like GPS, to develop a computer model that predicts the robot’s location. GPS satellites ping smartphones and based on how long it takes for the signal to arrive, the GPS receiver in the smartphone can determine where the cell phone is. Similarly, researchers know how strong the magnetic field should be around the magnet embedded in the robot. They rely on four sensors that are carefully spaced around the area where the robot operates to measure the magnetic field strength. Based on how strong the field is, they are able to determine where the tip of the robot is.
The whole system, including the robot, magnets and magnet localization setup, costs around $100.
Morimoto and Watson went a step further. They then trained a neural network to learn the difference between what the sensors were reading and what the model said the sensors should be reading. As a result, they improved localization accuracy to track the tip of the robot.
“Ideally we are hoping that our localization tools can help improve these kinds of growing robot technologies. We want to push this research forward so that we can test our system in a clinical setting and eventually translate it into clinical use,” Morimoto said.
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Flexible medical robots
- Built-in bionic computing
(Image: MEDICAL FIG.) "We've demonstrated the ... paving the way for the development of robots capable of more adaptable and flexible movements. "This could streamline the hardware and software ...
- Automated machine learning robot unlocks new potential for genetics research
University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers have constructed a robot that uses machine learning to fully automate a complicated microinjection process used in genetic research.
- Built-in bionic computing: Researchers develop method to control pneumatic artificial muscles
Creating robots to safely aid disaster victims is one challenge; executing flexible robot control that takes advantage of the material's softness is another. The use of pliable soft materials to ...
- Scientists Make Breakthrough in Chronic Pain Treatment
Scientists have developed tiny robotic nerve "cuffs" to diagnose and treat neurological disorders. The flexible devices offer a safer, minimally invasive alternative to today's diagnostics and could ...
- Robotic nerve 'cuffs' could help treat a range of neurological conditions
Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibers without damaging them.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Flexible medical robots
[google_news title=”” keyword=”flexible medical robots” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Growing robot
- Building a better (robot) lawn mower
Buzzy new robotic lawn mowers let you use a smartphone app to boss them around, no perimeter wires required. Why it matters: The perfectly coiffed green lawn that these mowers enable is a joyous ...
- AI robot graduation speaker is not A-OK for some students at D'Youville
D'Youville has invited Sophia, a humanoid automaton produced by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, to address its graduates at the May 11 ceremony at LECOM Harborcenter. And that is a problem for scores ...
- DARPA’s Robot Tank Moves Closer To Combat Duty
While not technically a tank, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s new Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) Heavy Platform has been demonstrated in Phase 2. The ...
- 5 things to know for April 26: Trump trials, University protests, Harvey Weinstein, TikTok ban, Starliner
A multi-day storm threat is set to impact millions of people in the central US through the weekend. Forecasts show parts of Texas, Missouri and Iowa are in the direct pathway of multiple rounds of ...
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robots Are a $38 Billion Market, According to Goldman Sachs. Here's How the "Magnificent Seven" Are Investing in the Technology.
R obotics is an emerging trend in the artificial intelligence (AI) landscape. Technology companies are leveraging robotics to enhance operations related to warehouse logistics, manufacturing, and more ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Growing robot
[google_news title=”” keyword=”growing robot” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]