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Son D, Ugurlu MC, Sitti M. Permanent magnet array-driven navigation of wireless millirobots inside soft tissues. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi8932. [PMID: 34669466 PMCID: PMC8528412 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi8932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Creating wireless milliscale robots that navigate inside soft tissues of the human body for medical applications has been a challenge because of the limited onboard propulsion and powering capacity at small scale. Here, we propose around 100 permanent magnet array–based remotely propelled millirobot system that enables a cylindrical magnetic millirobot to navigate in soft tissues via continuous penetration. By creating a strong magnetic force trap with magnetic gradients on the order of 7 T/m inside a soft tissue, the robot is attracted to the center of the array even without active control. By combining the array with a motion stage and a fluoroscopic x-ray imaging system, the magnetic robot followed complex paths in an ex vivo porcine brain with extreme curvatures in sub-millimeter precision. This system enables future wireless medical millirobots that can deliver drugs; perform biopsy, hyperthermia, and cauterization; and stimulate neurons with small incisions in body tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donghoon Son
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, 46241 Busan, South Korea
| | - Musab Cagri Ugurlu
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Metin Sitti
- Physical Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
- School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Koç University, 34450 Istanbul, Turkey
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
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Aggravi M, Estima DAL, Krupa A, Misra S, Pacchierotti C. Haptic Teleoperation of Flexible Needles Combining 3D Ultrasound Guidance and Needle Tip Force Feedback. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2021. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2021.3068635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Abi-Farraj F, Pacchierotti C, Arenz O, Neumann G, Giordano PR. A Haptic Shared-Control Architecture for Guided Multi-Target Robotic Grasping. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HAPTICS 2020; 13:270-285. [PMID: 31034421 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2019.2913643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Although robotic telemanipulation has always been a key technology for the nuclear industry, little advancement has been seen over the last decades. Despite complex remote handling requirements, simple mechanically linked master-slave manipulators still dominate the field. Nonetheless, there is a pressing need for more effective robotic solutions able to significantly speed up the decommissioning of legacy radioactive waste. This paper describes a novel haptic shared-control approach for assisting a human operator in the sort and segregation of different objects in a cluttered and unknown environment. A three-dimensional scan of the scene is used to generate a set of potential grasp candidates on the objects at hand. These grasp candidates are then used to generate guiding haptic cues, which assist the operator in approaching and grasping the objects. The haptic feedback is designed to be smooth and continuous as the user switches from a grasp candidate to the next one, or from one object to another one, avoiding any discontinuity or abrupt changes. To validate our approach, we carried out two human-subject studies, enrolling 15 participants. We registered an average improvement of 20.8%, 20.1%, and 32.5% in terms of completion time, linear trajectory, and perceived effectiveness, respectively, between the proposed approach and standard teleoperation.
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Rahal R, Matarese G, Gabiccini M, Artoni A, Prattichizzo D, Giordano PR, Pacchierotti C. Caring About the Human Operator: Haptic Shared Control for Enhanced User Comfort in Robotic Telemanipulation. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON HAPTICS 2020; 13:197-203. [PMID: 31995500 DOI: 10.1109/toh.2020.2969662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Haptic shared control enables a human operator and an autonomous controller to share the control of a robotic system using haptic active constraints. It has been used in robotic teleoperation for different purposes, such as navigating along paths minimizing the torques requested to the manipulator or avoiding possibly dangerous areas of the workspace. However, few works have focused on using these ideas to account for the user's comfort. In this article, we present an innovative haptic-enabled shared control approach aimed at minimizing the user's workload during a teleoperated manipulation task. Using an inverse kinematic model of the human arm and the rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) metric, the proposed approach estimates the current user's comfort online. From this measure and an a priori knowledge of the task, we then generate dynamic active constraints guiding the users towards a successful completion of the task, along directions that improve their posture and increase their comfort. Studies with human subjects show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, yielding a 30% perceived reduction of the workload with respect to using standard guided human-in-the-loop teleoperation.
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Pacchierotti C, Ongaro F, van den Brink F, Yoon C, Prattichizzo D, Gracias DH, Misra S. Steering and control of miniaturized untethered soft magnetic grippers with haptic assistance. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATION SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING : A PUBLICATION OF THE IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION SOCIETY 2018; 15:290-306. [PMID: 31423113 PMCID: PMC6697175 DOI: 10.1109/tase.2016.2635106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Untethered miniature robotics have recently shown promising results in several scenarios at the microscale, such as targeted drug delivery, microassembly, and biopsy procedures. However, the vast majority of these small-scale robots have very limited manipulation capabilities, and none of the steering systems currently available enable humans to intuitively and effectively control dexterous miniaturized robots in a remote environment. In this paper, we present an innovative micro teleoperation system with haptic assistance for the intuitive steering and control of miniaturized self-folding soft magnetic grippers in 2-D space. The soft grippers can be wirelessly positioned using weak magnetic fields and opened/closed by changing their temperature. An image-guided algorithm tracks the position of the controlled miniaturized gripper in the remote environment. A haptic interface provides the human operator with compelling haptic sensations about the interaction between the gripper and the environment, as well as enables the operator to intuitively control the target position and grasping configuration of the gripper. Finally, magnetic and thermal control systems regulate the position and grasping configuration of the gripper. The viability of the proposed approach is demonstrated through two experiments involving 26 human subjects. Providing haptic stimuli elicited statistically significant improvements in the performance of the considered navigation and micromanipulation tasks. Note to Practitioners-The ability to accurately and intuitively control the motion of miniaturized grippers in remote environments can open new exciting possibilities in the fields of minimally-invasive surgery, micromanipulation, biopsy, and drug delivery. This paper presents a micro teleoperation system with haptic assistance through which a clinician can easily control the motion and open/close capability of miniaturized wireless soft grippers. It introduces the underlying autonomous magnetic and thermal control systems, their interconnection with the master haptic interface, and an extensive evaluation in two real-world scenarios: following of a predetermined trajectory, and pick-and-place of a microscopic object.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Pacchierotti
- CNRS at Irisa and Inria Rennes Bretagne Atlantique, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France
| | - F. Ongaro
- Surgical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, MIRA–Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - F. van den Brink
- Surgical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, MIRA–Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - C. Yoon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
| | - D. Prattichizzo
- Department of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy, and also with the Department of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, 16163 Genoa, Italy
| | - D. H. Gracias
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218 USA
| | - S. Misra
- Surgical Robotics Laboratory, Department of Biomechanical Engineering, MIRA–Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, University of Twente, 7522 NB Enschede, The Netherlands
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
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Chinello F, Pacchierotti C, Bimbo J, Tsagarakis NG, Prattichizzo D. Design and Evaluation of a Wearable Skin Stretch Device for Haptic Guidance. IEEE Robot Autom Lett 2018. [DOI: 10.1109/lra.2017.2766244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Lehocky CA, Fellows-Mayle W, Engh JA, Riviere CN. Tip Design for Safety of Steerable Needles for Robot-Controlled Brain Insertion. ROBOTIC SURGERY : RESEARCH AND REVIEWS 2017; 4:107-114. [PMID: 29170740 PMCID: PMC5695876 DOI: 10.2147/rsrr.s141085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Current practice in neurosurgical needle insertion is limited by the straight trajectories inherent with rigid probes. One technique allowing curvilinear trajectories involves flexible bevel-tipped needles, which bend during insertion due to their asymmetry. In the brain, safety will require avoidance of the sharp tips often used in laboratory studies, in favor of a more rounded profile. Steering performance, on the other hand, requires maximal asymmetry. Design of safe bevel-tipped brain needles thus involves management of this tradeoff by adjusting needle gauge, bevel angle, and fillet (or tip) radius to arrive at a design that is suitably asymmetrical while producing strain, strain rate, and stress below the levels that would damage brain tissue. Methods Designs with a variety of values of needle radius, bevel angle, and fillet radius were evaluated in finite-element simulations of simultaneous insertion and rotation. Brain tissue was modeled as a hyperelastic, linear viscoelastic material. Based on the literature available, safety thresholds of 0.19 strain, 10 s-1 strain rate, and 120 kPa stress were used. Safe values of needle radius, bevel angle, and fillet radius were selected, along with an appropriate velocity envelope for safe operation. The resulting needle was fabricated and compared with a Sedan side-cutting brain biopsy needle in a study in the porcine model in vivo (N=3). Results The prototype needle selected was 1.66 mm in diameter, with bevel angle of 10° and fillet radius of 0.25 mm. Upon examination of postoperative CT and histological images, no differences in tissue trauma or hemorrhage were noted between the prototype needle and the Sedan needle. Conclusions The study indicates a general design technique for safe bevel-tipped brain needles based on comparison with relevant damage thresholds for strain, strain rate, and stress. The full potential of the technique awaits the determination of more exact safety thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Craig A Lehocky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Wendy Fellows-Mayle
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Johnathan A Engh
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Cameron N Riviere
- The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Meli L, Pacchierotti C, Prattichizzo D. Experimental evaluation of magnified haptic feedback for robot-assisted needle insertion and palpation. Int J Med Robot 2017; 13. [PMID: 28218455 DOI: 10.1002/rcs.1809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Revised: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Haptic feedback has been proven to play a key role in enhancing the performance of teleoperated medical procedures. However, due to safety issues, commercially-available medical robots do not currently provide the clinician with haptic feedback. METHODS This work presents the experimental evaluation of a teleoperation system for robot-assisted medical procedures able to provide magnified haptic feedback to the clinician. Forces registered at the operating table are magnified and provided to the clinician through a 7-DoF haptic interface. The same interface is also used to control the motion of a 6-DoF slave robotic manipulator. The safety of the system is guaranteed by a time-domain passivity-based control algorithm. RESULTS Two experiments were carried out on stiffness discrimination (during palpation and needle insertion) and one experiment on needle guidance. CONCLUSIONS Our haptic-enabled teleoperation system improved the performance with respect to direct hand interaction of 80%, 306%, and 27% in stiffness discrimination through palpation, stiffness discrimination during needle insertion, and guidance, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Meli
- Dept. of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.,Dept. of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | | | - Domenico Prattichizzo
- Dept. of Advanced Robotics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy.,Dept. of Information Engineering and Mathematics, University of Siena, Siena, Italy
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