Robotic Trainer for Ultrasound Guided Needle Insertion

Ultrasound guided needle insertion is one of the most difficult skill requiring tasks in surgery. Training with mock-ups and on cadavers is difficult, costly, time consuming, and mostly requires one-to-one expert presence. A visual and haptic simulator environment can reduce the cost and time for training and allow for self-training sessions to the trainee surgeons. This project aims to develop the knowledge of soft tissue behaviour in needle insertion, a visual simulator for ultrasound image generation, and a robotic haptic system to emulate the tissue force feedback in needle insertion. With such a system a trainee surgeon can exercise needle insertion with realistic ultrasound images and realistic haptic feedback.

The goals of this porject are: to develop a haptic robotic trainer for surgeons for ultrasound image guided needle insertion; to investigate the force interaction with soft tissue layers in needle insertion; to develop haptic interface that emulates artificial interaction forces for training.