Abstract:

The neuroendoscopy is a surgical technique that allows the neurosurgeon to maintain a visual contact while operating inside the brain of a patient. A hole is drilled in the patient’s skull and a special instrument called the neuroendoscope is inserted in the brain until the neurosurgeon reaches his/her target. It has the shape of a tube so another surgical instrument can be inserted through it. While this instrument is manipulated by the neurosurgeon, the neuroendoscope must be held for a long period and some positioning adjustment are often necessary, which require a high level of dexterity and a good resistance against fatigue or shaking. This makes this clinical intervention delicate, even for well-trained neurosurgeons.

The objective of the submitted project is to design a new robotic system for neuroendoscopy. The system will be composed of one robotic manipulator and one haptic control device. Both of them will be based on a new mechanical architecture specifically dedicated for neuroendoscope manipulation. A novel Spherical Semi-Decoupled Mechanism (SSDM) will be optimized regarding the specific requirement of this medical application. It will offer the advantage of decoupled rotational Degrees of Freedom (DoF) and its instrumentation will allow a force feedback control. A haptic control device using the same architecture and equipped with cable transmission will be designed to control the manipulator. This concept has been presented to the Department of Neurosurgery of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (our medical partner) and discussions has resulted in a high interest such characteristics.

Prior to the design of these two devices, a complete theoretical analysis of this novel SSDM will be performed. The definition of its design variables and its kinematic and velocity models will permit the optimization of the manipulator and the design of the control device. A preliminary conceptual prototype will be then manufactured for illustration to the medical partner. Once manufactured and programmed, the complete neuroendoscopy robotic system will be experimented on clinical simulations in CGMH.