Final Design

The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) compatible robot is made of a 2 degrees of freedom hydraulic arm. The system is made of aluminum tubes, adjustable counterbalance weights, brake mechanisms, and a portable cart. The system can rotate about the Z axis at each of the joints, and has a brake at each joint to prevent unwanted rotation during operation. An end effector is attached at the end of the second arm to be positioned anywhere within the bore of an MRI machine (roughly a 1.524 meter or 60 inch diameter cylinder).

Main Components

Base Platform

The platform gives the structure sufficient stiffness to allow for precise surgeries and anchors the structure in place
Caster wheels to transport the system through the MRI facility's doorways and hallways

Arm Structure

The full structure is made 2 arms; each arm has 1 main link and 1 counterweight link
Arms are comprised of multiple aluminum tubes that give the structure positioning in X and Y axes
With this, the system has a wide range of motion within the 1.524 meter MRI bore

Sliding Counterbalance Weights

This functions to ensure the link's center of masses are in the desired position along the tube
The adjustability of the counterbalance weights' position accommodates for future design changes of the end effector

Braking Mechanism

This allows the user to adjust the structure’s position for surgery
Locks and unlocks the arm’s position in place

Page updated

Report abuse