Laser-induced thermal therapy of tumour under magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance has become the preferred alternative to surgical retraction due to its reduced invasiveness and shortened patient recovery time. An MRI conditional neurosurgical robot that integrates a flexible end effector and two modular shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators with real-time 3D motion is developed for laser ablation of brain tumour under MRI guidance. It can provide high distal dexterity in 3D workspace, allowing expansion of the instrument workspace from a single dot to a curved surface during a minimally invasive surgery while keeping a small entry site. The robot consists of materials and actuators proven compatible with the restrictive MR environment, and possesses a high potential for technology translation towards clinical trial.
MRI Compatible Neurosurgical Robot Driven by SMA for Tumour Ablation
Researchers
Introduction
The Main Impact
A first-of-its-kind steerable robot capable of real-time brain tumour ablation under intraoperative MR image guidance
A high-performance MRI conditional modular SMA actuator outperforms the state-of-the-art counterparts due to the application of rapid heating and forced cooling strategies. The modular design enables the creation of sterile interface between the end effector and the actuation module and easy replacement of the actuators
A framework integrating model-based feedforward compensation control and model predictive control is implemented to improve the robot motion accuracy at high amplitude and high bandwidth tracking
Promising solution towards image-guided ablation procedures, offering the surgeon the ability to expand the lesion coverage with a single narrow insertion path