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Laryngoscopy Procedure Side View

Design Description:

The current design consists of a single robotic arm with an attachment point for a 3D printed handle attached to a laryngoscope. Based off the position of the arm, the position of the laryngoscope is able to be tracked in space. The robotic arm is controlled by three Maxon Servo motors, one controlling rotation around the veritcal axis, and two controlling rotation about the x axis. The motors drive the arm using 7x19 1/16" 18-8 Stainless steel cable and each motor has magnetic encoders. The position of the laryngoscope is able to be tracked by combining knowledge of all motor encoders as well as cable and shaft diameters.

Team 24: Robotic Laryngoscopy Teaching Device

MAE 156B Sponsored Project

University of California: San Diego

Project Background and Objective:

The objective of this project was to create a device that can aid in training medical students proper technique when performing a laryngoscopy. The procedure (pictured left) involves the insertion of a laryngoscope to access to the larynx so that breathing tubes may be inserted for patients placed under anesthesia. Laryngoscopies can be difficult to perform, but must be done quickly after patients have been anesthetized. A common complication for students learning the procedure is improperly applying torque to the laryngoscope, resulting in dental damage to the patient.

The device tracks the position of the laryngoscope, allowing experienced doctors to perform successful laryngoscopies on mannequins and have their glide paths recorded. When students practice the procedure, a computer program can use these tracked paths to provide corrective, haptic feedback and reinforce muscle memory of the correct application.

One-Arm Prototype and 3D Printed Handle Current Aluminum Arm Build

Scope of Project:

For this specific portion of the project, we will be focusing on creating one haptic feedback arm with the use of an aluminum body which will increase the precision and sustainability of the previous project.

Minimal Machinery and Machining:

The robotic arm was designed to be assembled with minimal necessary machinery and labor. To accomplish this, most parts can simply be uploaded as STL files, and cut out of aluminum using water or laser cutters. Some parts do require some machining, but this should be able to be accomplished relatively quickly using a drill press.

Future Scope:

It is the hope of the team that the project will be expanded in the future. An identical arm can be water jet cut from aluminum and assembled with minimum machining. By combing both arms together in series, the tip of the laryngoscope will be able to be controlled not only in x, y, and z positions, but in all axes of rotation as well. This will allow complete monitoring and control of the tool to train the students muscle memory.

This laryngoscopy training device while seemingly specific in its application can potentially be the building ground for projects that can change the world. The characteristics of the device designed for this project are that it is a controllable, trackable, robotic arm with 3 degrees of freedom. With some extra work, this device could be expanded to training many additional medical procedures or any tasks that require muscle memory. By using the VR technology mentioned above, the user could practice surgeries, different procedures, or any task using a virtual model. (cite our report)

Performance Goals:

The arm is able to exert haptic feedback of 20 Newtons at it's tip
The device is able to stored in a box of 1x1 m area
The device is able to track the tip of the laryngoscope accurately with a precision of 1mm
The device is able to be used on a variety of different manikins
The device is able to create guide paths and provide feedback to help the user stay along these paths