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Project

Development of autonomous robot-assisted subretinal injection based on OCT guidance and optimal control

Vitreoretinal surgery has been a very rewarding discipline for robotic applications up to now. In this field surgeons are continuously confronted with anatomic structures that are so small and so fragile that technological advancements that help dealing with these structures are readily welcomed. Recently, first-in-human robot-assisted interventions have been conducted both by a team from RAS in KU Leuven and by PRECEYES, a team from Eindhoven, showing the feasibility of the robotic technology in this area. Further advancements are expected by progress in sensing, actuation, modeling and control. For example, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG), Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and bio-impedance or just some of the recent technologies that can be integrated in innovative instruments and can be exploited to operate with greater precision relative to the retinal surface. This project will focus on the OCT-based instrument tracking in robot-assisted subretinal injection. Subsequently, an optimal control system integrated with instrument tracking system will be proposed to autonomously conduct subretinal injection surgery, using the robot-assisted eye surgery system developed by RAS group at KU Leuven. The aim is to be able to treat tiny structures with unparalleled precision in a semi-autonomous fashion and in disregard whether those structures form part of the surface are located below the surface. 

Date:25 Nov 2021 →  Today
Keywords:surgical robotics, image segmentation, robotics, Optical Coherence Tomography, Machine Learning
Disciplines:Sensing, estimation and actuating
Project type:PhD project