We present an interactive robotic platform for teleoperated grasping as an educational tool. With this open-source robot application, we engage children and young adults with robotics and make computer science education more vivid. Our teleoperation method uses the Leap Motion optical gesture tracker to simultaneously control each of the four degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of a robotic hand and the six-DOF tool pose of a serial manipulator. A control algorithm is developed to relate the operator’s palm pose to the manipulator’s tool pose. The operator commands the robotic hand with relative finger movements of the thumb, index, and middle finger. We present preliminary results from a pick-and-place demonstration show-cased at a public science fair held at Imperial College London.

Robotic minimally invasive surgery has been a subject of intense research and development over the last three decades, due to the clinical advantages it holds for patients and doctors alike. Particularly for drug delivery mechanisms, higher precision and the ability to follow complex trajectories in three dimensions (3D), has led to interest in flexible, steerable needles such as the programmable bevel-tip needle (PBN). Steering in 3D, however, holds practical challenges for surgeons, as interfaces are traditionally designed for straight line paths. This work presents a pilot study undertaken to evaluate a novel human-machine visual interface for the steering of a robotic PBN, where both qualitative evaluation of the interface and quantitative evaluation of the performance of the subjects in following a 3D path are measured. A series of needle insertions are performed in phantom tissue (gelatin) by the experiment subjects. User could adequately use the system with little training and low workload, and reach the target point at the end of the path with millimeter range accuracy.

We present a model for the steering of programmable bevel-tip needles, along with a set of experiments demonstrating the three-dimensional steering performance of a new, clinically viable, 4-segment, preproduction prototype. A multibeam approach based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is used to model the novel multisegment design of these needles. Finite element (FE) simulations for known loads are used to validate the multibeam deflection model. A clinically sized (2.5 mm outer diameter), 4-segment programmable bevel-tip needle, manufactured by extrusion of a medical-grade polymer, is used to conduct an extensive set of experimental trials to evaluate the steering model. For the first time, we demonstrate the ability of the 4-segment needle design to steer in any direction with a maximum achievable curvature of (0.0192 ± 0.0014 mm-1). FE simulations confirm that the multibeam approach produces a good model fit for tip deflections, with a root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) in modeled tip deflection of 0.2636 mm. We perform a parameter optimization to produce a best-fit steering model for experimental trials with a RMSD in curvature prediction of 1.12 × 10-3mm-1.

Percutaneous intervention has become a topic of interest in recent years, due to the many potential advantages for the patient. To date, several novel needle steering systems have been developed to improve both the accuracy and applicability of this type of surgery, but many of these can still only provide limited control of the trajectory between an entry site and a deep seated target. Our previous work describes the first prototype of a bio-inspired multi-part needle, codenamed STING, which can steer along planar trajectories within a compliant medium by means of a novel programmable bevel, where the steering angle is a function of the offset between interlocked needle segments. This paper presents our first attempt to model a bio-inspired 4-part needle, an extension of the planar steering system with the potential to steer along three-dimensional (3D) trajectories within a compliant medium. This paper introduces a 3D kinematic model and closed-loop controller for the needle, which is inspired by the modeling strategy employed for under-actuated underwater vehicles, followed by simulation results which demonstrate that 3D trajectory tracking can be completed successfully.