Teleoperated and Automated Control of a Robotic Tool for Targeted Prostate Biopsy.

This work presents a robotic tool with bidirectional manipulation and control capabilities for targeted prostate biopsy interventions. Targeted prostate biopsy is an effective image-guided technique that results in detection of significant cancer with fewer cores and lower number of unnecessary biopsies compared to systematic biopsy. The robotic tool comprises of a compliant flexure section fabricated on a nitinol tube that enables bidirectional bending via actuation of two internal tendons, and a biopsy mechanism for extraction of tissue samples.

Modeling and Operator Control of a Robotic Tool for Bidirectional Manipulation in Targeted Prostate Biopsy.

This work introduces design, manipulation, and operator control of a bidirectional robotic tool for minimally invasive targeted prostate biopsy. The robotic tool is purposed to be used as a compliant flexure section of active biopsy needles. The design of the robotic tool comprises of a flexure section fabricated on a nitinol tube that enables bidirectional bending via actuation of two internal tendons.

HDR Brachytherapy Planning using Active Needles - Preliminary Investigation on Dose Planning.

In this study we present a new approach to plan a high-dose-rate (HDR) prostate brachytherapy (BT) using active needles recently developed by our group. The active needles realize bi-directional bending inside the tissue, and thereby more compliant with the patient's anatomy compared with conventional straight needles. A computational method is presented to first generate a needle arrangement configuration based on the patient's prostate anatomy.