Osburg J, Nguyen NT, Ernst F. Increasing Reachability in Robotic Ultrasound Through Base Placement and Tool Design.
Int J Med Robot 2025;
21:e70037. [PMID:
39729575 DOI:
10.1002/rcs.70037]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2024] [Revised: 12/05/2024] [Accepted: 12/15/2024] [Indexed: 12/29/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Robotic ultrasound visualises internal organs in real-time for various medical applications without the harm of X-rays. The ultrasound probe is attached to the robot's end effector using custom-developed probe holders. This paper analyzes the impact of different probe holder geometries on the robot's base placement and reachability.
METHODS
We propose a method to improve probe holder geometries and robot base placements to enhance reachability, validated using a 7-DoF serial manipulator (KUKA iiwa 7) for ultrasound scans of multiple subcutaneous body parts.
RESULTS
Without additional space restrictions, the number of robot base positions with high reachability could be strongly increased with an improved probe holder geometry. Under space constraints, previously unreachable target poses became accessible by adapting the probe holder geometry.
CONCLUSIONS
Our method provides an automated solution for determining improved probe holder geometries, enhancing reachability to target areas, especially when the robot's placing area is limited.
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