We present a prototype of a robotic system for accurate and consistent insertion of a percutaneous biopsy needle into the prostate. The robot manipulates a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) probe to collect a series of 2 dimensional (2D) images of the prostate, which are later used to create a 3D computer model of the organ. The urologist defines the needle’s entry point at the perineal wall and the biopsy points within the 3D model following a biopsy protocol or otherwise. The robotic system then calculates the required trajectory of the needle. The path of the needle going into the prostate can also be simulated with the 3D model before the actual insertion. Being satisfied with the predicted outcome, the urologist configures the robot accordingly and manually pushes the mechanically guided needle into the patient to take the biopsy. Cadaveric and human trials have validated the robot’s needle placement error to be less than 2.5mm. Our future work includes the integration of a cancer predictive modality into the system to increase the cancer detection rate. The robotic system could also be modified to accurately place foreign bodies into the prostate, which could improve therapeutic procedures such as Brachytherapy.

Prostate cancer accounts for 29% of all cancers diagnosed in males in the United States. Present therapeutic procedures for prostate cancer are either invasive or minimally invasive. However, recent advances in technology (e.g. High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)) allow the possibility of also non-invasive therapeutic procedures. This paper describes localizing the position of the prostate using an ultrasound probe. With this information, the robot can accurately manipulate a non-invasive therapeutic tool, such as HIFU, to an area of interest in the prostate via the transperineal route.

Prostate cancer accounts for 29% of all cancers diagnosed in males in the United States. Resent therapeutic procedures for prostate cancer are either invasive or minimally invasive. However, recent advances in technology (e.g. High intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)) allow the possibility of also non-invasive therapeutic procedures. This paper describes localizing the position of the prostate using an ultrasound probe. With this jnformation, the robot can accurately manipulate a non-invasive therapeutic tool, such as HlFU, to an area of interest in the prostate via the transperineal route.

This paper illustrates a mechanism specifically designed for locomotion in the wet, collapsible and tortuous human gastrointestinal (GI) tract (the colon in particular). Previous works performed in the authors' laboratory were devoted to the fabrication of semi-autonomous inchworm locomotion devices for navigation in the colon; in this paper a further analysis of limitations and problems of these devices has been performed. The main limitation consists of the poor efficiency of these devices to negotiate acute bends (due to what the authors termed as the "accordion effect") and, in general, to advance in the scarcely supported colon tissue. Thus a different approach to locomotion has been developed based on "sliding clampers". This locomotion principle has been implemented in a minirobot system and has demonstrated (both theoretically and experimentally) to be effective in reducing the "accordion effect".