Miniaturisation and Optimisation of Ultrasonic Scalpels for Robotic Surgery

该项目将探索机器人部署的传感和外科手术程序。对于感知，它将首先确定一个或少数相关的潜在医疗程序。然后，它将考虑可能合适的工作频率和超声波换能器配置，并考虑实际的超声波设备能力、与机器人部署相关的参数以及医疗程序的详细工作流程。将设计一个可行的原型配置，随后将进行物理实施和演示。传感能力还将考虑到与超声驱动的手术工具集成的需要。该领域的工作将从审查一系列程序的工具开始，特别侧重于体内机器人部署的微型化潜力，以及与超声波传感的关系。将确定少数相关的潜在医疗程序。将开发一种或少量超声驱动的手术工具，使用其他项目中建立的设计和原型方法，并激发具有减小尺寸和重量并提高驱动效率的新的压电材料的潜力。这些将通过使用人造材料和体外组织(包括完整的动物身体)的真实模拟中的机器人部署来演示。该项目的最后关键阶段将采用传感和手术的理解和物理实施，并将它们结合到一个单一的演示系统中，在该系统中，将以一种简单的方式利用从超声波传感和其他来源获取的信息来监测和控制超声驱动的手术。

This project will explore both sensing and surgical procedures with robotic deployment. For sensing, it will first identify one or a small number of relevant potential medical procedures. It will then consider the operating frequency and ultrasonic transducer configurations that may be appropriate, taking into account realistic ultrasonic device capabilities, the parameters associated with robotic deployment, and the detailed workflow of the medical procedures. A viable prototype configuration will be designed and physical implementation and demonstration will follow. The sensing capabilities will also take into account the need for integration with ultrasonically-actuated surgical tools. Work in that area will begin with a review of tools for a range of procedures, focusing particularly on the potential of miniaturisation for intracorporeal robotic deployment, and the relationship with ultrasonic sensing. A small number of relevant potential medical procedures will be identified. One or a small number of ultrasonically-actuated surgical tools will be developed, using design and prototyping approaches established in other projects and exciting new piezoelectric materials with the potential to reduce size and weight and increase drive efficiency. These will be demonstrated with robotic deployment in realistic simulations using artificial materials and ex vivo tissue, including complete animal cadavers. The final key phase of the project will take the understanding and physical implementations for sensing and surgery and combine them into a single demonstration system, where the ultrasonically-actuated surgery will be monitored and controlled in a simple manner with information drawn from ultrasound sensing and other sources.