3D Ultrasound vision for robot-surgeons
May 11th, 2008 by RedPepper
Scientists utilize 3-D ultrasound machinery to drive a robotic arm to independently perform surgeries
Duke University engineers believe they’ve completed a major step towards developing robotic surgeons that operate autonomously. The robot they used in their experiments were not performed on real people, uses 3-D ultrasound as its eyes, and an artificial intelligence AI program that processes the 3-D information it gathers to decide the robot’s next steps.
The robot has successfully performed some replicated actions directing catheters inside synthetic blood vessels, carrying out needle biopsies and even removing a false cyst. A small 3-D ultrasound transducer gathers the images, effectively providing the robot’s arm with a map of where it needs to go.
And while the long-term goal is to have some future version of their robot perform more complex tasks in animal models, the engineers also say that the 3-D ultrasound tech they use could prove to be a valuable tool to today’s surgeons.
Source: Popular Science