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

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目提供了手持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，在此过程中，机器人和患者都不是固定在空间中的。该项目的潜在结果是一个全面的机器人超声换能器系列，通过提高众多临床医生的技能，使各种介入点护理机器人应用成为可能。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（儿童和成人）、活检、区域麻醉、精确提取（如胸穿刺）和精确注射（如骨科生物制剂），创造了一个超过20亿美元的潜在市场。使用手持医疗机器人进行人机协作的好处包括：更快、更简单的程序，可以由更广泛的临床医生团队执行，减少医疗并发症和患者不适，提高医院基础设施利用率，最终有利于临床结果和总护理成本。该项目还可能产生对其他人机协作应用的重要见解和影响，并具有在医疗领域之外的机器人应用的潜力。这个项目的智力价值集中在展示第一个自主放置针头的手持机器人能力的可行性上。这个项目建立在现有的两层创新之上。首先是能够使用实时超声数据将针精确地送到身体的某个点。这与其他需要从不同方向整合多个图像的成像方式有很大不同。接下来，这是一个自主供电系统。一旦用户选择了目标，就会计算出针的路径，并自动推进针的移动。该项目通过其研究目标建立了第三个层次的创新-创造实时能力，i)识别和跟踪目标作为对象，ii)在用户或患者运动或目标特征变化期间自动进行机器人修正以保持目标。该研究涉及新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，它们在动态环境中实时交互以保持瞄准精度。预期的技术结果是使非专家临床医生能够可靠地进入具有临床挑战性的儿科患者模型的“小”中央血管。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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.