Study of Robot-Assisted Cochlear Implant Insertion and Active Bending Electrode Arrays

CBET-0651649 SIMAAN这项建议的具体目的是通过使用机器人插入模块来研究和改进人工耳蜗电极阵列插入。将探索使用新的主动转向电极来减少对耳蜗结构的损伤。人工植入人工耳蜗术的无创伤性深度植入的比率很低，目前阻碍了外科医生治疗仍有一些残留听力的老年性耳聋患者。这些人通常年龄较大，由于他们的条件，由于手术的创伤性性质，无法从助听器或当前的人工耳蜗术中受益。这项拟议的工作为新的机器人辅助手术方法提供了关键的使能技术，用于人工耳蜗手术。据推测，主动转向电极阵列与力控制的机器人插入装置相结合可以显著减少插入力和对鼓阶的创伤。拟议的机器人插入模块还将提供稳定和可重复的实验设置，以评估被动和主动弯曲电极阵列的性能。拟议的研究还可能适用于不同的外科领域，如脑深部电极刺激放置，微创切除各种器官(如肺和肝脏)内的肿瘤，为显微内窥镜手术安全探查脊髓脑膜空间，以及所有其他需要灵活的蛇形设备在狭窄的通道中导航且与通道壁接触最少的应用，同时由数量有限的执行器驱动，这些执行器比任务施加的限制要小。

CBET-0651649 Simaan The specific aim of this proposal is to study and improve cochlear electrode array insertion through the use of a robotic insertion module. The use of novel active-steering electrodes will be explored to reduce trauma to the structure of the cochlea. The low rate of atraumatic deep insertions of cochlear implants using manual insertions currently prevent surgeons from treating individuals with presbycusis who still have some residual hearing. These individuals are usually older, and due to their conditions, can not benefit from hearing aids or from the current cochlear implants due to the traumatic nature of the surgery. The proposed work provides a crucial enabling technology for new robot-assisted surgical approaches to cochlear implant surgery. It is hypothesized that active steering electrode arrays combined with a force controlled robotic insertion device can significantly reduce the insertion forces and trauma to the scala tympani. The proposed robotic insertion module will also provide a stable and repeatable experimental setup to assess the performance of both passive and active-bending electrode arrays.The proposed research may also be applicable to different areas of surgery such as deep brain electrode stimulation placement, minimally invasive resection of tumors inside a variety of organs such as the lungs and liver, safe exploration of the meningeal space of the spinal cord for micro-endoscopic surgery and all other applications requiring a flexible snake-like device to navigate tight channels with minimum contact with the walls of the channels while actuated by a limited number of actuators smaller then the constraints imposed by the task.