Modular MRI Compatible Robot Controller

The unavailability of robot control interfaces that are compatible with the MRI environment has severely limited the ability to do research in the field. The high cost of entry into MRI robotics has been primarily due to the need for each researcher to develop and evaluate their control system in the scanner. We have developed an MRI compatible robot controller that sits in the scanner room without interfering with scanner imaging. The controller is modular and allows many different inputs and output and communicates to a high level planning and navigation software workstation through fiber optic connections.

MRI Compatible Powered Electronics Case

The purpose of this project is to create a platform for the housing and powering of MRI compatible devices and controllers. The unit has so far been designed to house electronic, pneumatic, and hydraulic devices, while supplying varying levels of AC and DC power.


Programmable Piezo-electric Motor Driver

To create an MR compatible modular device capable of being controlled by a variety of control styles, while having the ability to drive a variety of piezo electric motors with highly specific arbitrary waveforms.


Video describing our Modular Approach to Rapid Development of MRI-Guided Robotic Assistants for Minimally Invasive Surgical Interventions:


Related Publications

  1. Cole GA, Harrington K, Su H, Camilo A, Pilitsis JG, Fischer GS, Closed-Loop Actuated Surgical System Utilizing In-Situ Real-Time MRI Guidance, Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics - Experimental Robotics, eds. Khatib O, Kumar V, Sukhatme G, Springer-Verlag, Vol 79, pp 785-798, 2014. Springer, PDF
  2. Su H, Shang W, Harrington K, Camilo A, Cole GA, Tokuda J, Hata N, Tempany CM, Fischer GS, A Networked Modular Hardware and Software System for MRI-guided Robotic Prostate Interventions, SPIE Medical Imaging, San Diego, USA, Feb. 2012. SPIE, PDF
  3. Fischer GS, Cole GA, Su H, Approaches to Creating and Controlling Motion in MRI, In Proceedings of the 33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Boston, USA, Aug. 2011. (Invited Paper) IEEE, PubMed, PDF
  4. Cole G, Harrington K, Su H, Camilo A, Pilitsis J, Fischer GS, Closed-Loop Actuated Surgical System Utilizing Real-Time In-Situ MRI Guidance, 12th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics - ISER 2010, New Delhi, India, December 2010. ISER BibTex EndNote
  5. Cole GA, Fischer GS, MRI Compatible Surgical Systems: Analysis of Actuator Compatibility Methodologies and System Effectiveness, Robotics Science and Systems, Workshop on Enabling Technologies for Image-Guided Interventional Procedures, June 2010. PDF
  6. Wang Y, Cole GA, Su H, Pilitis JG, Fischer GS, MRI Compatibility Evaluation of a Piezoelectric Actuator System for a Neural Interventional Robot, 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society - EMBC 2009, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 2009. PDF, EMBS, PubMed, BibTex, EndNote
  7. Fischer GS, Krieger A, Iordachita I, Csoma C, Whitcomb L, Fichtinger G, MRI Compatibility of Robot Actuation Techniques - A Comparative Study, 11th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention - MICCAI 2008, New York, NY, Lecture Notes on Computer Science, Vol 5242, pp 509-517, Springer, September 2008. Springer, PubMed, PDF