RI: Medium: Active Sensing, Localization, and Mapping in Dynamic Deformable Environments for Image-Guided Interventions

本研究旨在解决两个重要的研究问题，实现智能机器人系统的图像引导针和导管为基础的外科干预。 第一个研究重点是在使用医学成像的手术干预期间定位和跟踪柔性器械和解剖目标。 用于在噪声、不完整的传感器测量下鲁棒地跟踪器械、目标组织和其他相关解剖结构（包括需要避开的障碍物和解剖结构）的算法对于机器人系统成功执行手术是必不可少的。 第二个研究重点旨在开发用于在手术期间动态控制医学成像系统的算法。 目标是最小化传感器测量的数量，并因此降低与感测相关联的成本，同时仍然获得足够的感测信息。该项目将通过开发将改善经皮介入的技术，对医疗保健产生直接的广泛社会影响，这些技术广泛用于诊断和治疗应用。 本研究的目的是开发用于术中医疗成像系统的主动控制方法，以在经皮介入期间定位和跟踪器械和解剖结构。 具体而言，研究将集中在动态变形环境中的主动定位和映射算法的开发，以及动态控制术中成像系统的主动传感算法。 所开发的技术将在硬件中实现，并在使用实时磁共振成像技术的临床介入磁共振成像系统的台式实验研究中进行验证。 该项目的智力价值来自于对机器人和医学成像领域的科学贡献，以及两种技术的协同整合。

This study aims to address two important research problems in realizing intelligent robotic systems for image-guided needle and catheter based surgical interventions. The first research thrust focuses on localization and tracking of flexible instruments and anatomical targets during the surgical intervention using medical imaging. Algorithms for robustly tracking the instrument, target tissue, and other relevant anatomical structures, including obstacles and anatomical structures that need to be avoided, under noisy, incomplete sensor measurements are essential for the robotic system for successfully performing the procedure. The second research thrust aims to develop algorithms for dynamically controlling the medical imaging system during the procedure. The goal is to minimize the number of sensor measurements, and hence reduce costs associated with sensing, while still obtaining sufficient sensing information. This project will have direct broad societal impacts in healthcare, by developing technologies that will improve percutaneous interventions, which are widely used for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The purpose of the present study is the development of methods for active control of intra-operative medical imaging systems for localization and tracking of instruments and anatomical structures during percutaneous interventions. Specifically, the research will focus on development of algorithms for active localization and mapping in dynamic deformable environments, and active sensing algorithms for dynamically controlling intra-operative imaging system. The developed technologies will be realized in hardware and validated in benchtop experimental studies on a clinical interventional magnetic resonance imaging system using real-time magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The intellectual merit of the project comes from the scientific contributions to the fields of robotics and medical imaging as well as a synergistic integration of the two technologies.