CAREER: Intelligent Flexible Robots for Safe Manipulation of Anatomy

目前的医疗机器人系统使用非智能手术操纵器，这些操纵器将整个负担放在外科医生身上，以防止对解剖结构的损伤。新的外科手术范例的出现，例如自然孔口内窥镜经腔外科手术（NOTES），需要能够支持与解剖结构的安全交互的外科手术机器人，同时通过通常较长的自然进入路径进入深部手术部位。这就需要新型的机器人能够保护免受损害的解剖结构，作为智能干预和信息收集工具，以协助外科医生在日益复杂的procedures.The本研究的目的是提供建模和控制的柔性机器人的理论基础，智能和安全的互动与解剖结构。智能是指这些机器人能够测量它们与解剖结构的力相互作用，收集有关解剖结构的信息，并根据这些信息采取行动。螺旋理论和随机估计方法被用于建模的能力，这些机器人估计他们的扳手相互作用的解剖结构，通过使用内在和外在的信息来源。这些性能指标用于混合力控制算法，允许表征形状，刚度和解剖约束管理的安全机动悬挂organs.The研究的结果将允许开发全新的技术，为新兴的手术范例（如NOTES）。 这项研究也将通过解决多点接触问题的控制和解决方案，沿着沿着柔性机器人的柔性插入控制和支撑对软环境的现场机器人。

Current medical robotics systems use non-intelligent surgical manipulators that place the entire burden on surgeons for safeguarding against damage to the anatomy. The emergence of new surgical paradigms, such as Natural Orifice Endoscopic Trans-luminal Surgery (NOTES), requires surgical robots that are capable of supporting safe interaction with the anatomy while accessing deep surgical sites through often long natural access pathways. This requires new types of robots capable of safeguarding against damage to the anatomy by acting as intelligent intervention and information gathering tools for assisting surgeons during increasingly complex procedures.The objective of this research is to provide the theoretical foundation for modeling and control of flexible robots for intelligent and safe interaction with the anatomy. Intelligence refers to the ability of these robots to gauge their force interaction with the anatomy, gather information about the anatomy, and act based on this information. Screw theory and stochastic estimation methods are used for modeling the ability of these robots to estimate their wrench interaction with the anatomy by using intrinsic and extrinsic sources of information. These performance measures are used in hybrid force control algorithms that allow characterizing shape, stiffness, and anatomical constraints governing safe maneuvering of suspended organs.The outcomes of this research will allow the development of radically new technologies for newly emerging surgical paradigms (e.g. NOTES). This research will also advance the field robotics by addressing control and resolution of multi-point contact problems along flexible robots for compliant insertion control and bracing against soft environments.