Low-Cost, Compact, and Portable Robot for Autonomous Intravenous Access using Nea

描述（由申请人提供）：外周静脉通路对广泛的临床干预至关重要，因此是美国医疗损伤的主要原因。在困难的环境中，与该手术相关的并发症会加剧，成功率在很大程度上取决于患者的生理状况和医生的经验。我的毕业论文是关于成像和机器人技术的发展，以提高抽血和静脉注射的准确性和速度。核心技术是一种图像引导的机器人设备，可以准确自主地引入静脉插管。该设备通过实时绘制周围静脉的3D结构来操作，以便机器人将针头引导到选定的静脉中。一个工作原型已经开发出来，并在几项研究中得到验证，其结果在两份期刊出版物中进行了描述。该设备结合了3D近红外静脉成像仪、机器人和计算机视觉软件；这三个组成部分构成了本建议所述的三个具体目标的基础。该目标适合整个论文：1)将当前的成像硬件集成到一个独立的手持成像设备中；2)为成像设备引入软件，帮助选择合适的插管位置；3)将成像设备和软件与当前机器人的小型化版本集成。这项工作的结果将是一个紧凑和低成本的系统，适合于beta阶段的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Peripheral venous access is pivotal to a wide range of clinical interventions and is consequently the leading cause of medical injury in the U.S. Complications associated with the procedure are exacerbated in difficult settings, where the rate of success depends heavily on the patient's physiology and the practitioner's experience. My dissertation thesis pertains to the development of imaging and robotic technologies to improve the accuracy and speed of blood draws and IV's. The core technology is an image-guided robotic device that accurately and autonomously introduces a cannula for venous access. The device operates by mapping in real-time the 3D structure of peripheral veins in order to robotically direct a needle into a selected vein. A working prototype has been developed and validated in several studies, the results of which are described in two journal publications. The device combines a 3D near-infrared vein imager, a robot, and computer vision software; these three components form the basis of the three Specific Aims described in this proposal. The Aims fit into the overall dissertation by 1) incorporating the current imaging hardware into a standalone, handheld imaging device; 2) introducing software for the imaging device that assists in selecting suitable cannulation sites; and 3) integrating the imaging device and software with a miniaturized version of the current robot. The outcome of this work will be a compact and low-cost system that is suited for beta-stage development.