Surgical Robotics
Surgical Robotics
Micro/nano
Haptic and force feedback for teleoperated surgical robotics
Teleoperated robotic surgical systems are among the next generation of surgical tools, which are well posed to improve the safety, success rates, recovery times, dexterity and intuitiveness of many surgical procedures. The introduction of haptic feedback, whereby the surgeon is able to feel what the robot feels, is a significant enhancement over solely visual feedback. This project aims to improve transparency and stability in the haptic feedback of teleoperated minimally invasive surgery (MIS) robots. The RMRL has developed multiple platforms for research into surgical manipulation, including serial mechanisms and a hexapod-based mechanism. These robots employ parallel mechanisms or computational methods to achieve a stationary remote centre of motion within their workspace which can be used as an entry point for MIS procedures. Key to these studies are the integration of force and torque sensors in a non-intrusive manner, in order to record high-fidelity mechanical information about the surgical environment, and further processed and relayed to a human or autonomous operator.
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Haptic environment modelling and control
Presently, transparency and stability issues with traditional teleoperated systems are too restrictive for the haptic technology to be fully utilized, as communication time delays between the master and slave subsystems cause an inherent stability/transparency trade-off. This project aims to develop control methodologies that will allow for improvements in haptic transparency whilst maintaining overall system stability. As the surgical robot (slave) interacts with the biological tissues during a surgical procedure, information about the environment is recorded and analysed to produce an equivalent simulated environment. The user driven haptic device (master) then instead interacts with the simulated environment, rather than directly with the slave robot. In doing this, force feedback is (partially) decoupled from the motions of the slave, and instead linked to the motions of the master. Applying different environment models allows for a multitude of surgical procedures to be accommodated. Similarly, by utilizing the known deformation behavior of various tissues, a purely simulated environment can be generated at the haptic device for training purposes.
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Automated cell manipulation
This project aims to investigate fundamental problems associated with precision manipulation, handling, and automated surgeries on biological cells. This includes studies of cell immobilisation, and modelling of key interactions such as cell deformations and penetration. The outcomes of this project are expected to lead to breakthroughs and the development of novel techniques for automated cell manipulation and microsurgical tasks.
Cell micro-manipulation research is a key research program within the RMRL, which includes: design, analysis and control of micro manipulators, immobilisation of biological cells through micropipette or micro gripper platforms, modelling and characterisation of cell deformation under imposed indentation forces, real-time vision-based cell tracking and deformation modelling, and automation and control of manipulation procedures.
The RMRL possesses advanced facilities to carry out this research, including multi-DOF stepper driven micro manipulation mechanisms, cell aspiration equipment, a laser-based confocal microscope and AFM for imaging of interactions, compound/inverted microscopes capable of digital image acquisition, precision load cells, and laser-based measurement equipment.
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Anatomical organ modelling and surgical procedure simulation
The aim of this research program is to establish novel virtual reality-based surgical procedure simulation methodologies, geometric and physical models of human organs, and surgical tools and interaction modules for thoracoscopic surgery or for minimally invasive surgical procedures