A CT-Scan Compatible Robotic Device for Needle Placement in Medical Applications

Abstract

Several medical applications require devices capable of placing different substances inside the human body. Due to the nature of the task it is desirable to perform these actions with visual feedback, whereas the most viable solution, especially for deep target points, is computer tomography (CT). The paper presents an innovative device, which can be fitted inside the CT gantry, and has decoupled motions to ensure maximum accuracy during the needle placement. It will be shown that for needle placement tasks 5 degrees of freedom (DOF) are sufficient to achieve the task. The geometric and kinematic model of the robot will be presented. The workspace and precision mapping are computed. Some simulation results will show the robot capabilities as well as its placement in the CT scan environment.