CRANE: a 10 degree-of-freedom, tele-surgical system for dexterous manipulation within imaging bores

Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2022

Dimitri Schreiber, Zhaowei Yu, Hanpeng Jiang, Taylor Henderson, Guosong Li, Julie Yu, Renjie Zhu, Alexander M Norbash, Michael C Yip

Abstract: Physicians perform minimally invasive percuta-neous procedures under Computed Tomography (CT) image guidance both for the diagnosis and treatment of numerous diseases. For these procedures performed within Computed Tomography Scanners, robots can enable physicians to more accurately target sub-dermal lesions while increasing safety. However, existing robots for this application have limited dexterity, workspace, or accuracy. This paper describes the design, manufacture, and performance of a highly dexterous, low-profile, 8+2 Degree-of-Freedom (DoF) robotic arm for CT guided percutaneous needle biopsy. In this article, we propose CRANE: CT Robot and Needle Emplacer. The design focuses on system dexterity with high accuracy: extending physicians’ ability to manipulate and insert needles within the scanner bore while providing the high accuracy possible with a robot. We also propose and validate a system architecture and control scheme for low profile and highly accurate image-guided robotics, that meets the clinical requirements for target accuracy during an in-situ evaluation. The accuracy is additionally evaluated through a trajectory tracking evaluation resulting in 0.2mm and 0.71mm tracking error. Finally, we present a novel needle driving and grasping mechanism with controlling electronics that provides simple manufacturing, sterilization, and adaptability to accom-modate different sizes and types of needles.

Schreiber et al. (2022) CRANE: a 10 degree-of-freedom, tele-surgical system for dexterous manipulation within imaging bores, Proc. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 5487-5494.

Pub Link: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9811732/
arXiv: