Robnier Reyes Perez
Software Systems
Surgical robot path-planning algorithms are an active area of research that can facilitate the adoption of surgical robots in the operating room. Robotic surgery has become increasingly common for use in general surgical procedures. More recently, the development of new robotic systems has enabled the potential use of robots in neurosurgical applications, particularly for the placement of various probe implants for cranial surgery, and for the placement of spinal implants for spine surgery. When developing systems capable of performing these procedures, robotic simulation is a core and vital component to test a system before large-scale fabrication and testing takes place. Additionally, determining how a surgeon may optimally interact with a system is critical to development. As robotic-based spinal and cranial procedures become more commonplace, development of both a human-computer interface and methods of simulation are key to exploring the potential uses and design methods for these procedures, as well as to develop new technologies and functionalities.
In this project, a team will use Coppellia Sim, Unity, or a similar platform, in order to create a simulated robotic system that can be controlled and interacted with using various user-interfaces, and which simulates the placement of probes for cranial and spinal procedures.
- System can be developed using Coppellia Sim, Unity, or similar and must be able to have customized end-effectors for various probes and tool requirements.
- System should allow for interaction to either control or guide the robot.
- Simulated robot should be capable of autonomous and semi-autonomous functionality.
- Simulation should allow for import of anatomical models.
- Simulation should allow for demonstration of robotic probe placement on anatomical models using various human-computer interfaces.
- Other specifications as directed by FLC.
- The team must perform a literature review of surgical robotics. As surgical robotics and robotic simulation are well-researched topics, the discovery of peer-reviewed published material will be left up to the students.
- Specific topics are recommended for study, including current robotic systems available and robotic best practices for craniospinal surgery, as well as common best practices for manipulator arm programming.
- Students should familiarize themselves with best practices for human-computer interaction. A strong background in programming is also recommended.
The group will have a number of responsibilities throughout the course of the project. These include, but are not limited to:
- Perform a literature review for the current state of medical robotics and robotic simulation
- Determine optimized implementation strategy
- Determine and implement potential methods of interaction with the robotic simulator
- Design and develop end-effectors for simulated robotic system
- Create an image-processing pipeline to create anatomical models from preoperative imaging (CT, MR, etc.)
- Perform benchmarking tests to determine placement accuracy
- Open house presentation and demonstration
- Any other responsibilities as deemed suitable by FLC
Student A will be responsible for programming the robotics simulator to conduct autonomous motions, as well as the design of the end-effector of the robot. Specifically, the student will design the end-effector to hold the virtual surgical tools necessary for the probe placement, and will implement various methods of moving the robot from one position to a desired position and trajectory by solving inverse kinematics. The student will work closely with Student B who will be responsible for developing human-computer interaction methods.
Student B will be responsible for investigating and implementing various methods of human-computer interaction in order to semi-autonomously control a robotic system. Specifically, the student will be responsible for investigating both traditional computing and virtual reality interaction methods that may be appropriate for the control of a robotic system, and to determine intuitive methods of interaction with the simulated environment. The student will work closely with Student A to implement these methods.
Student C will be responsible for the creation of an anatomical model fabrication pipeline. Specifically, this pipeline will take in DICOM images of CT, MR, or other data, and segment out bony structures, organs, and lesions of interest, saving these in a format that is compatible to be imported into the simulated environment. The student is also responsible for determining the interaction of these models with the simulator such that accuracy of probe placement can be determined. The student will work closely with Students A and B to determine how this interaction occurs, and will work with Student D for the development of the user-interface.
Student D will be responsible for the development of a user-interface in collaboration with Student A. This interface should allow for the monitoring of the interaction of the end-effector with the anatomical structures imported into the simulator, as well as allow a user to select particular structures on the individual DICOM slices that can translate into coordinates and trajectories using the methods developed by Student A. This interface should also allow observers to monitor the actions of users, as well as see the movement of the robots, and the tissue interactions in real-time.
COE318, COE428, COE528
RP04: Surgical Robot Simulation Platform for the Tracking of Surgical Tools | Robnier Reyes Perez | Sunday September 11th 2022 at 01:10 AM