FUSBOTs: Image-guided Robotic Systems for FUS (Focused Ultrasound Surgery)

Minimally invasive and non-invasive surgical techniques remained a prime research focus in bio-medical arena in the past over two decades due to their numerous advantages over conventional surgery methods. Remote ablation of deep-seated abnormalities by various modalities such as the use of focused high intensity ultrasound can provide completely non-invasive procedures if the energy in the beam is carefully targeted. Tissue ablation due to High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU), alternatively known as Focal Ultrasound Surgery (FUS), is primarily effected by conversion of mechanical energy of an ultrasound wave into heat energy at its focal point. A temperature range of 60-80°C is achieved and the thermal effect could lead to immediate coagulative necrosis within focal zone. In this paper, the potential of mechatronic/robotic assistance in the operating room and system overview of various robotic systems, named FUSBOTs for non-invasive ablative procedures are described. The operation of the ablative/surgery system requires appropriate positioning of HIFU transducer(s) in a pre-arranged spatial configuration. For FUSBOTs, the robotic manipulator design and thus kinematics and dynamics of mechanical configuration are based on various specific applications. The common features include: the use of image guided, interactive and supervisory control by the surgeon. The dimensions and range of motions of our robotic systems correspond to human anthropomorphic data.