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Updated: Jun 13, 2026
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Three-Dimensional Ultrasonic Needle Tip Tracking with a Fiber-Optic Ultrasound Receiver
Published on: August 21, 2018
Image Guidance of Flexible Tip-Steerable Needles
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania vkallem@seas.upenn.edu.
IEEE Transactions on Robotics : a Publication of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
|May 1, 2010
Summary
Automated image guidance steers flexible needles in tissue. This study demonstrates precise control of a tip-steerable needle
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Medical Imaging
- Control Systems
Background:
- Image guidance enhances needle-based medical procedure accuracy.
- Flexible, steerable needles offer improved maneuverability in tissue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an automated control system for guiding a flexible tip-steerable needle during insertion into human tissue.
- To demonstrate autonomous guidance of the needle tip to a target planar slice, with physician control over insertion speed.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a nonholonomic needle model based on asymmetric bevel forces for steering.
- Implemented an observer-based feedback controller driven by needle tip position error.
- Validated the approach through numerical simulations and physical experiments using Nitinol needles and a tissue phantom under stereo image guidance.
Main Results:
- The needle tip was successfully guided to a planar slice in simulations and experiments.
- The controller demonstrated a large domain of attraction and robustness against parametric uncertainty and noise.
- Physician-in-the-loop control for insertion speed was maintained.
Conclusions:
- Automated image guidance can effectively control the trajectory of flexible, tip-steerable needles during insertion.
- The developed observer-based controller is stable and robust, paving the way for more precise minimally invasive procedures.
