SBIR Phase I: Optimizing an autonomous point of care medical robot to improve central vascular access

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目实现了手持式医疗机器人新概念背后的关键证明点，即使用医疗机器人自主执行任务，在此期间机器人和患者都没有固定在空间中。该项目的潜在成果是一系列全面的机器人超声换能器，通过提高众多临床医生的技能，实现各种介入式床旁机器人应用。 因此，许多技术上具有挑战性的关键程序将不再仅限于训练有素的专家。应用包括中央血管通路（儿科和成人），活检，区域麻醉，精确提取（例如胸腔穿刺术）和精确注射（例如骨科生物制剂），创造了超过20亿美元的可寻址市场。使用手持式医疗机器人进行人机合作的好处包括更快，更简单的程序，可以由更广泛的临床医生群体执行，减少医疗并发症和患者不适，并提高医院基础设施的利用率，最终使临床结果和总护理成本受益。该项目还可能对其他人机合作应用产生重要的见解和影响，并具有医疗领域以外的机器人应用潜力。该项目的智力价值集中在展示了第一种手持式机器人自主放针能力的可行性。该项目建立在现有的两个创新层面上。首先是能够使用实时超声数据将针精确地发送到身体的某个点。这与其他成像模式显著不同，其他成像模式需要来自不同方向的多个图像集成“离线”。“接下来，这是一个自主和动力系统。一旦用户选择了目标，就计算出针路径并且自动推进针。该项目通过其研究目标建立了第三层次的创新-创建实时能力，i）识别和跟踪目标作为对象，ii）进行自动机器人校正，以在用户或患者移动或目标特征变化期间保持该目标。这项研究涉及新颖的图像识别和跟踪技术，以及非常精确的新型传感和控制回路技术，这些技术在真实的时间内相互作用，以保持动态环境中的瞄准精度。预期的技术成果是使非专业临床医生能够用穿刺针可靠地进入儿科患者模型中具有临床挑战性的“小”中心血管。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project enables key proof points behind the novel concept of a hand-held medical robot, i.e. use of a medical robot to autonomously perform a task during which neither the robot not the patient is fixed in space. The potential outcome of this project is a comprehensive line of robotic ultrasound transducers that enable a variety of interventional point-of-care robotic applications by enhancing the skills of a multitude of clinicians. As a result, many technically challenging critical procedures will no longer be restricted to solely highly trained experts. Applications include central vascular access (pediatric and adult), biopsy, regional anesthesiology, precision extraction (e.g. thoracentesis), and precision injections (e.g. orthopedic biologics), creating an addressable market exceeding $2 billion. Benefits of man-machine teaming using hand-held medical robots include faster, simpler procedures that can be performed by a much broader group of clinicians, reduced medical complications and patient discomfort, and improved hospital infrastructure utilization, ultimately benefitting both clinical outcomes and total costs of care. Significant insights and implications for other man-machine teaming applications may also result from this project, with potential for robotic applications well outside of the medical realm. The intellectual merit of this project centers on demonstrating the feasibility of first-of-kind hand-held robotic capabilities for autonomous needle placement. This project builds on two existing layers of innovation. First is the ability to use real-time ultrasound data to send a needle precisely to a point in the body. This differs significantly from other imaging modalities that require multiple images from different orientations integrated "off line." Next, this is an autonomous and powered system. Once a user selects a target, the needle path is calculated and the needle is advanced automatically. This project builds the third level of innovation through its research objectives - creating the real-time ability to i) recognize and track the target as an object, and ii) make automatic robotic corrections to maintain that target during user or patient movement or changes in target characteristics. The research involves novel image recognition and tracking technology and very precise novel sensing and control loop technology that interact in real time to maintain targeting accuracy in a dynamic environment. The anticipated technical result is to enable a non-expert clinician to reliably enter a clinically challenging "small" central blood vessel in a pediatric patient model with an introducer needle.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.