Medical Robotics
Our Technology
Take an in-depth look at some of the robotics technology we've developed at HCESC. Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining this technology or working with us to design something new.
The UVBot is a low-cost robot that can be programmed to clean spaces such as schools, offices, and public transportation to inactivate COVID-19 using UV light. It promises 99% virus inactivation and can be controlled over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to prevent human UV exposure.
The robot was developed by researchers during the summer of 2020, and is made from a Roomba robot, UV lamp, and many 3D-printed parts. A provisional patent has been filed.
Read about the UV Bot and how you can obtain the technology here.
Robotic Surgery Through Simulation & Haptics
We have developed a complete simulator for tele-robotic surgery safety and motor skills training. This simulator provides trainees with a comprehensive method to acquire essential skills in performing tele-robotic surgery while preparing them to handle unexpected events.
The simulator is built on the Raven-IITM open-source surgical robot platform. It integrates a physics engine and safety hazard injection engine, which automatically inserts faults into modules of the robot control software to reproduce adverse events that could occur during surgery.
The simulator also reproduces safety hazard events related to the da Vinci Surgical System, which are reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. In addition, a novel, real-time haptic feedback system based on a rendering of the RGB-D sensor has been developed along with new methodologies to provide stable, bi-lateral control during tele-surgery. This research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and Jump ARCHES.
Endovascular procedures, used to treat problems affecting blood vessels such as aneurysms, are commonly performed with x-ray guidance for diagnosis and therapy. Complex blood vessels and organs are accessed with flexible surgical tools, demanding a high level of skill from surgeons. Intricate manipulation of surgical tools and frequently hazardous x-ray exposure demands a need for tele-operated robotic assistance for the well-being of the patient and surgeon.
To solve this problem, we've developed a tele-operated endovascular robotic system with an intuitive user interface and functionality to assist with patient safety. Our robot can use conventional endovascular surgical tools, thus making our robot-assisted procedure more cost-effective than procedures with active catheters.
The robot is trained to arrest any unwarranted tool motions while remotely alerting the surgeon. Because of the natural tele-operation interface, the surgeon is not required to learn new skills to complete the procedure.