Effect of Balance Training in Sitting Position Using Visual Feedback on Balance and Gait Ability in Chronic Stroke Patients.

Chronic stroke often results in balance and gait impairments, significantly impacting patients' quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the combined effect of unstable surface balance training and visual feedback, based on proprioceptive neuromuscular stimulation in patients with chronic stroke, is effective in restoring balance and gait ability. A total of 39 chronic stroke patients were randomly assigned to a visual feedback combined with unstable surface balance training group (VUSBG), an unstable surface balance training group (USBG), or a conventional physical therapy group (CG).

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.

Human-robot-robot cooperative control using positioning robot and 1-DOF traction device for robot-assisted fracture reduction system.

While performing musculoskeletal long bone fracture reduction surgery, assistant surgeons can often suffer from physical fatigue as they provide resistance against the tension from surrounding muscles pulling on the patient's broken bones. These days, robotic systems are being actively developed to mitigate this physical workload by realigning and holding these fractured bones for surgeons. This has led to one consortium proposing the development of a robot-assisted fracture reduction system consisting of a 6-DOF positioning robot along with a 1-DOF traction device.

Integrating robot-assisted ultrasound tracking and 3D needle shape prediction for real-time tracking of the needle tip in needle steering procedures.

Background: Needle insertions have been used in several minimally invasive procedures for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Real-time position of the needle tip is an important information in needle steering systems.

Methods: This work introduces a robot-assisted ultrasound tracking (R-AUST) system integrated with a needle shape prediction method to provide 3D position of the needle tip.

A concentric tube-based 4-DOF puncturing needle with a novel miniaturized actuation system for vitrectomy.

Background: Vitreoretinal surgeries require precise, dexterous, and steady instruments for operation in delicate parts of the eye. Robotics has presented solutions for many vitreoretinal surgical problems, but, in a few operations, the available tools are still not dexterous enough to carry out procedures with minimum trauma to patients. Vitrectomy is one of those procedures and requires some dexterous instruments to replace straight ones for better navigation to affected sides inside the eyeball.

Hands-on robot-assisted fracture reduction system guided by a linear guidance constraints controller using a pre-operatively planned goal pose.

Background: In robot-assisted fracture reduction systems, the fine alignment of the fractured bone and its path planning are still of issues that need to be resolved.

Methods: A novel linear guidance constraints (LGC) controller guides a robot along the shortest path to align a distal fracture segment and a proximal one. In addition, the surgeon can modify the path whenever s/he wants.

Real-time microrobot posture recognition via biplane X-ray imaging system for external electromagnetic actuation.

Purpose: As a promising intravascular therapeutic approach for autonomous catheterization, especially for thrombosis treatment, a microrobot or robotic catheter driven by an external electromagnetic actuation system has been recently investigated. However, the three-dimensional (3D) real-time position and orientation tracking of the microrobot remains a challenge for precise feedback control in clinical applications owing to the micro-size of the microrobot geometry in vessels, along with bifurcation and vulnerability. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a 3D posture recognition method for the unmanned microrobotic surgery driven by an external electromagnetic actuator system.

Geometric Parameter Calibration for a Cable-Driven Parallel Robot Based on a Single One-Dimensional Laser Distance Sensor Measurement and Experimental Modeling.

A cable-driven parallel robot has benefits of wide workspace, high payload, and high dynamic response owing to its light cable actuator utilization. For wide workspace applications, in particular, the body frame becomes large to cover the wide workspace that causes robot kinematic errors resulting from geometric uncertainty. However, appropriate sensors as well as inexpensive and easy calibration methods to measure the actual robot kinematic parameters are not currently available.

A robotic suture-passing device for possible use in SILS and NOTES.

Background: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic (NOTES) and single incisional laparoscopic surgeries (SILS) have been gaining importance over the last two decades. Due to improper instrumentation, small workspace and the imperceptibility of body structures, suturing and knot-tying are difficult to perform in both.

Methods: An intracorporeal suture-passing device with two manipulator arms is proposed that automatically passes the suture around ducts of up to 7 mm diameter, without additional manipulation of any other surgical instrument, and it can be deployed through a trocar of 3 mm inner diameter.

Virtual wall-based haptic-guided teleoperated surgical robotic system for single-port brain tumor removal surgery.

This article presents a haptic-guided teleoperation for a tumor removal surgical robotic system, so-called a SIROMAN system. The system was developed in our previous work to make it possible to access tumor tissue, even those that seat deeply inside the brain, and to remove the tissue with full maneuverability. For a safe and accurate operation to remove only tumor tissue completely while minimizing damage to the normal tissue, a virtual wall-based haptic guidance together with a medical image-guided control is proposed and developed.

Hybrid-Actuating Macrophage-Based Microrobots for Active Cancer Therapy.

Using macrophage recruitment in tumors, we develop active, transportable, cancer theragnostic macrophage-based microrobots as vector to deliver therapeutic agents to tumor regions. The macrophage-based microrobots contain docetaxel (DTX)-loaded poly-lactic-co-glycolic-acid (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) for chemotherapy and Fe3O4 magnetic NPs (MNPs) for active targeting using an electromagnetic actuation (EMA) system. And, the macrophage-based microrobots are synthesized through the phagocytosis of the drug NPs and MNPs in the macrophages.

A novel curvature-controllable steerable needle for percutaneous intervention.

Over the last few decades, flexible steerable robotic needles for percutaneous intervention have been the subject of significant interest. However, there still remain issues related to (a) steering the needle's direction with less damage to surrounding tissues and (b) increasing the needle's maximum curvature for better controllability. One widely used approach is to control the fixed-angled bevel-tip needle using a "duty-cycle" algorithm.

Preparation of HIFU-triggered tumor-targeted hyaluronic acid micelles for controlled drug release and enhanced cellular uptake.

In this study, a novel type of high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU)-triggered active tumor-targeting polymeric micelle was prepared and investigated for controlled drug release and enhanced cellular uptake. Amphiphilic hyaluronic acid (HA) conjugates were synthesized to form docetaxel loaded micelles in aqueous conditions with high encapsulation efficiencies of over 80%. The micelle sizes were limited to less than 150nm, and they varied slightly according to the encapsulated drug amount.

Penetration of an artificial arterial thromboembolism in a live animal using an intravascular therapeutic microrobot system.

The biomedical applications of wireless robots are an active area of study. In addition to moving to a target lesion, wireless locomotive robots can deliver a therapeutic drug for a specific disease. Thus, they hold great potential as therapeutic devices in blood vessel diseases, such as thrombi and occlusions, and in other diseases, such as cancer and inflammation.

Experimental and simulation studies on focused ultrasound triggered drug delivery.

To improve drug delivery efficiency in cancer therapy, many researchers have recently concentrated on drug delivery systems that use anticancer drug loaded micro- or nanoparticles. In addition, induction methods, such as ultrasound, magnetic field, and infrared light, have been considered as active induction methods for drug delivery. Among these, focused ultrasound has been regarded as a promising candidate for the active induction method of drug delivery system because it can penetrate a deep site in soft tissue, and its energy can be focused on the targeted lesion.

Modeling of chemotactic steering of bacteria-based microrobot using a population-scale approach.

The bacteria-based microrobot (Bacteriobot) is one of the most effective vehicles for drug delivery systems. The bacteriobot consists of a microbead containing therapeutic drugs and bacteria as a sensor and an actuator that can target and guide the bacteriobot to its destination. Many researchers are developing bacteria-based microrobots and establishing the model.

A hybrid actuated microrobot using an electromagnetic field and flagellated bacteria for tumor-targeting therapy.

In this paper, we propose a new concept for a hybrid actuated microrobot for tumor-targeting therapy. For drug delivery in tumor therapy, various electromagnetic actuated microrobot systems have been studied. In addition, bacteria-based microrobot (so-called bacteriobot), which use tumor targeting and the therapeutic function of the bacteria, has also been proposed for solid tumor therapy.

Shape memory alloy-based biopsy device for active locomotive intestinal capsule endoscope.

Recently, capsule endoscopes have been used for diagnosis in digestive organs. However, because a capsule endoscope does not have a locomotive function, its use has been limited to small tubular digestive organs, such as small intestine and esophagus. To address this problem, researchers have begun studying an active locomotive intestine capsule endoscope as a medical instrument for the whole gastrointestinal tract.

Effect of chitosan coating on a bacteria-based alginate microrobot.

To develop an efficient bacteria-based microrobot, first, therapeutic bacteria should be encapsulated into microbeads using biodegradable and biocompatible materials; second, the releasing rate of the encapsulated bacteria for theragnostic function should be regulated; and finally, flagellated bacteria should be attached on the microbeads to ensure the motility of the microrobot. For the therapeutic bacteria encapsulation, an alginate can be a promising candidate as a biodegradable and biocompatible material. Owing to the non-regulated releasing rate of the encapsulated bacteria in alginate microbeads and the weak attachment of flagellated bacteria on the surface of alginate microbeads, however, the alginate microbeads cannot be used as effective cargo for a bacteria-based microrobot.

Monocyte-based microrobot with chemotactic motility for tumor theragnosis.

Biocompatibility, sensing, and self-actuation are very important features for a therapeutic biomedical microrobot. As a new concept for tumor theragnosis, this paper proposes a monocyte-based microrobots, which are combining the phagocytosis and engulfment activities containing human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) with various sized polystyrene microbeads are engulfed instead of a therapeutic drug. For the validation of the blood vessel barrier-penetrating activity of the monocyte-based microrobot, we fabricate a new cell migration assay with monolayer-cultured endothelial cell (HUVEC), similar with the blood vessels.

Controlling uniformity of photopolymerized microscopic hydrogels.

This paper studies hydrogels created by photopolymerization with a uniform beam of light. Under some conditions the density profiles of the resulting hydrogels were uniform cylinders, mirroring the illumination profiles. However, under other conditions, gels with hollow cylindrical shapes were formed.

New paradigm for tumor theranostic methodology using bacteria-based microrobot.

We propose a bacteria-based microrobot (bacteriobot) based on a new fusion paradigm for theranostic activities against solid tumors. We develop a bacteriobot using the strong attachment of bacteria to Cy5.5-coated polystyrene microbeads due to the high-affinity interaction between biotin and streptavidin.

Motility analysis of bacteria-based microrobot (bacteriobot) using chemical gradient microchamber.

A bacteria-based microrobot (bacteriobot) was proposed and investigated as a new type of active drug delivery system because of its useful advantages, such as active tumor targeting, bacteria-mediated tumor diagnosis, and therapy. In this study, we fabricated a bacteriobot with enhanced motility by selective attachment of flagellar bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium). Through selective bovine serum albumin (BSA) pattering on hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) microbeads, many S.

Selective bacterial patterning using the submerged properties of microbeads on agarose gel.

We proposed a new bacteria patterning method on the restricted region of microbeads, using the submerged property of polystyrene microbeads on various concentrations of agarose gel. Moreover, we fabricated a bacterial microrobot using attenuated Salmonella typhimurium through the new patterning methods. We controlled the submerged degree of polystyrene microbeads through the regulation of the hardness of the agarose gel.

Smooth path planning for a biologically-inspired neurosurgical probe.

Percutaneous intervention involves the insertion of needles to specific locations inside the human body, to perform a variety of surgical procedures. Percutaneous procedures are becoming the preferred choice for many neurosurgeons, due to the additional benefits they provide over conventional open neurosurgery. A neurosurgical flexible and steerable probe named STING is currently being developed for accessing deep brain lesions following curvilinear paths.