Robert Webster
Mechanical Engineering
Vanderbilt University
Abstract:
A wide variety of continuum (continuously flexible) surgical devices have been developed over the past few years, and it is clear that continuum devices have been - and will continue to be - key enablers of less invasive surgical and diagnostic access within the human body. Even prior to the introduction of robotic control and guidance, manual continuum tools such as catheters, bronchoscopes, colonoscopes, etc. illustrate the clinical benefits possible with even relatively simple designs. Thinner and more maneuverable continuum devices promise to enable novel, less-invasive procedures. In the Medical & Electromechanical Design lab at Vanderbilt, we are developing concentric tube continuum robots and bevel steered needles, among other designs. This talk will address recent results in design optimization, sensing, modeling, planning, and real-time control of such robots. One initial clinical application area of these robots is to treat large and geometrically complex tumors via acoustically induced hyperthermia, through a single entry point in the organ surface, under three-dimensional ultrasound guidance. We also see potential in other clinical applications including diagnosis and treatment in distal portions of the lung via the throat.
Figure Caption: (a) A concentric tube continuum robot known as an Active Cannula (b) the degrees of freedom of an Active Cannula (c) 3D Ultrasound view of an active cannula embedded in Bovine Muscle (with superimposed 3D illustration of the cannula) (d) acoustic ablation probe extending from cannula tip with ablated tissue (e) several supimposed runs of bevel-steered needles.
References:
A wide variety of continuum (continuously flexible) surgical devices have been developed over the past few years, and it is clear that continuum devices have been - and will continue to be - key enablers of less invasive surgical and diagnostic access within the human body. Even prior to the introduction of robotic control and guidance, manual continuum tools such as catheters, bronchoscopes, colonoscopes, etc. illustrate the clinical benefits possible with even relatively simple designs. Thinner and more maneuverable continuum devices promise to enable novel, less-invasive procedures. In the Medical & Electromechanical Design lab at Vanderbilt, we are developing concentric tube continuum robots and bevel steered needles, among other designs. This talk will address recent results in design optimization, sensing, modeling, planning, and real-time control of such robots. One initial clinical application area of these robots is to treat large and geometrically complex tumors via acoustically induced hyperthermia, through a single entry point in the organ surface, under three-dimensional ultrasound guidance. We also see potential in other clinical applications including diagnosis and treatment in distal portions of the lung via the throat.
Relevant Web Links: http://research.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/MEDLab/
Figure Caption: (a) A concentric tube continuum robot known as an Active Cannula (b) the degrees of freedom of an Active Cannula (c) 3D Ultrasound view of an active cannula embedded in Bovine Muscle (with superimposed 3D illustration of the cannula) (d) acoustic ablation probe extending from cannula tip with ablated tissue (e) several supimposed runs of bevel-steered needles.
References:
- D. C. Rucker, B. A. Jones, and R. J. Webster III. A Geometrically Exact Model for Externally Loaded Concentric Tube Continuum Robots. IEEE Transactions on Robotics. (Accepted)
- R. J. Webster III and B. A. Jones. Design and Modeling of Constant Curvature Continuum Robots: A Review. International Journal of Robotics Research. (Accepted)
- D. C. Rucker, R. J. Webster III, G. S. Chirikjian, and N. J. Cowan. Equilibrium Conformations of Concentric-Tube Continuum Robots. International Journal of Robotics Research. (Accepted)
- D. C. Rucker and R. J. Webster III. Parsimonious Evaluation of Concentric-Tube Continuum Robot Equilibrium Conformation. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 56(9), 2308-2311, 2009.
- R. J. Webster III, J. M. Romano, and N. J. Cowan. Mechanics of Precurved-Tube Continuum Robots. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 25(1), 67-78, 2009.
- R. J. Webster III, J. S. Kim, N. J. Cowan, G. S. Chirikjian, and A. M. Okamura. Nonholonomic Modeling of Needle Steering, International Journal of Robotics Research, 25(5–6), 509-525, 2006.
- L. A. Lyons, R. J. Webster III, and R. Alterovitz. Planning Active Cannula Configurations Through Tubular Anatomy. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. (Accepted)
- R. A. Lathrop, D. C. Rucker, and R. J. Webster III. Guidance of a Steerable Cannula Robot in Soft Tissue Using Preoperative Imaging and Conoscopic Surface Contour Sensing. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. (Accepted)
- J. M. Croom, D. C. Rucker, J. M. Romano, and Robert J. Webster III. Visual Sensing of Continuum Robot Shape Using Self-Organizing Maps. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. (Accepted)
- E. C. Burdette, D. C. Rucker, P. Prakash, C. J. Diederich, J. M. Croom, C. Clarke, P. J. Stolka, T. Juang, E. M. Boctor, and R. J. Webster III. The ACUSITT Ultrasonic Ablator: The First Steerable Needle with an Integrated Interventional Tool. Proceedings of SPIE 2010. (Accepted)
- L. A. Lyons, R. J. Webster III, and R. Alterovitz. Motion Planning for Active Cannulas. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 801–806, 2009.
- D. C. Rucker and R. J. Webster III. Mechanics of Bending, Torsion, and Variable Precurvature in Multi-Tube Active Cannulas. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2533-2537, 2009.
- R. J. Webster III, J. P. Swensen, J. M. Romano, and N. J. Cowan. Closed-Form Differential Kinematics for Concentric-Tube Continuum Robots with Application to Visual Servoing. 11th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics 2008, Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics 2009, 54, 485-494, 2008.
- D. C. Rucker and R. J. Webster III. Mechanics-Based Modeling of Bending and Torsion in Active Cannulas. IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics, 704-709, 2008.
- R. J. Webster III, A. M. Okamura, and N. J. Cowan. Toward Active Cannulas: Miniature Snake-Like Surgical Robots. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2857-2863, 2006.