Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Control and interfaces for teleoperated robots.******The research program of the applicant is in the areas of robot teleoperation and medical imaging.***Robot assistance is used in many surgical procedures. With this approach, robot-mounted instruments and a 3D camera are inserted into the patient through minimally invasive incisions. The surgeon teleoperates these instruments and the camera with two master robotic arms from a remote console showing the 3D camera view. ******Ultrasound is the primary real time imaging method used to guide medical interventions. Ultrasound elastography is a specific modality that images tissue deformation or stiffness. Elastography imaging can be thought of as a quantitative palpation a form of medical examination.******The objective of this program is to improve the interface between the operator and the robotic system and the operator's awareness of the environment. ******The applicant will carry out research on haptic feedback for the teleoperation of medical robots. This will add to the user interface in the console a feeling of the forces that the instruments encounter during surgery. To improve the interface, eye-gaze will also be tracked and used to push the robotic arms towards where the operator is looking. Applications include all areas of robotics, such as medical robotics, drones or mobile robots, or the control of robots by persons with disabilities such as ALS. ***The applicant will also study how to train surgeons by demonstration, using extensive and realistic data, including eye-gaze and haptics. This work could revolutionize the way mentors teach. The approach is suitable for the web-based instruction that will be prevalent in the future. ******Ultrasound elastography is an attractive alternative to haptic feedback in robot-assisted surgery.***As a better alternative to tissue palpation and haptics, an intra-operative ultrasound tool compatible with current medical robotic systems will be used to obtain tissue deformation during surgery. Quantitative tissue stiffness images, as well as vessel structure, will be obtained through elastography during surgery, and will be incorporated in the robot interfaces. Through the proposed integrated palpation tool, surgeons will be able to see underneath the tissue to localize sensitive anatomical structure and pathology. ******Robotics and teleoperation are having an increasing impact on our lives. Improving the human-robot interface is an area of significant importance. The users include other researchers, medical robotics companies and ultrasound imaging companies, with ultimate benefits accruing to the healthcare system and, most importantly, to patients. **