Remote Center of Motion Robot for Medical Image Scanning and Image-guided Targeting

C11305: Remote Center of Motion Robot for Medical Image Scanning and Image-guided Targeting

Novelty:

A robot which uses a Remote Center of Motion to operate ultrasound probes with maneuverability similar to manual handling. It allows 3-D image rendering from 2-D ultrasound and enables a variety of robot-assisted image-guided procedures.

Value Proposition:

Since ultrasound probes are typically operated manually, position information required for 3-D reconstruction is lost. Because robots intrinsically measure their joint coordinates, this information is now readily available for imaging. This invention is a robot that allows ultrasound scanning for 3-D image reconstruction and enables a variety of robot-assisted image-guided procedures such as needle biopsy, percutaneous therapy delivery, and image-guided navigation surgeries. Additional advantages include:

Technical Details:

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a viable robotic system using a Remote Center of Motion which is customized for ultrasound scanning and applicable to a large variety of other medical tasks. Its kinematics implements 4 degrees of freedom (DOF) for typical ultrasound imaging with external body probes as well as endocavity probes. The robot manipulates an ultrasound imaging transducer in tandem with a medical instrument. It scans the region of interest to measure parameters of the anatomical feature and also tracks the position of the transducer. Using the tracking information, the system is able to render a 3-D image from 2-D ultrasound of the area of interest. The image is also able to visualize the medical instrument during image-guided surgery.

Looking for Partners:

To develop and commercialize the technology as a robotic ultrasound imaging and image-guided targeting system.

Stage of Development:

Clinical Trial

Data Availability:

Prototype

Publications/Associated Cases:

Not available at this time