Coronary vessel detection methods for organ-mounted robots.

Background: HeartLander is a tethered robot walker that utilizes suction to adhere to the beating heart. HeartLander can be used for minimally invasive administration of cardiac medications or ablation of tissue. In order to administer injections safely, HeartLander must avoid coronary vasculature.

Two-Dimensional Laser-Align Device for Ultrasound-Guided Injection.

Ultrasound-guided injection is a widely used technique, however, it takes substantial amounts of time for novices to master the skill. The most critical issue to improve the accuracy of the injection is to align the needle with the scan plane of the ultrasound beam and orient the needle angle after piercing skin to aim at the targeted tissue. In the present study, we developed a two-dimensional laser align device to assist physicians to accurately position the needle in the scan plane and advance it at an angle correctly pointing to the target.