On the feasibility of a robotic probe manipulator for echocardiography in the prone position.

Robotic probe manipulator for echocardography (echo) can potentially reduce cardiac radiologists' physical burden. Echo procedure with industrial robots has wide Range of Motion (RoM) but poses safety risks because the robot may clamp the patient against the bed. Conversely, a soft robotic manipulator for echo has safe contact force but suffers from a limited RoM.

Teleoperated Probe Manipulator for Prone-Position Echocardiography Examination.

Echocardiography probe manipulation is a strenuous task. During a procedure, the operator must hold the probe, extend their arm, bend their elbow, and monitor the resulting image simultaneously, which causes strain and introduces variability to the measurement. We propose a teleoperated probe manipulation robot to reduce the burden of handling the probe and minimize the infection risk during the COVID pandemic.