Workspace analysis and design improvement of a carotid flow measurement system

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Cardiovascular Diagnostics

Background:

• Heart and cerebrovascular diseases are leading causes of death globally.
• Wave intensity (WI) shows promise for early disease diagnosis but manual ultrasound measurements are time-consuming and operator-dependent.
• Robotic-assisted technology offers improved accuracy and repeatability for medical measurements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robotic-assisted carotid blood flow measurement system for precise WI assessment.
• To analyze and enhance the workspace performance of a 6-DOF parallel mechanism wrist for ultrasound guidance.
• To improve early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases through accurate WI measurements.

Main Methods:

• Development of a robotic system integrating a serial robot with a 6-DOF parallel mechanism wrist.
• Workspace analysis of a prototype wrist (WTA-1R) for carotid blood flow measurement.
• Implementation of mechanical design enhancements to optimize workspace and dexterity.

Main Results:

• Workspace analysis identified areas for improvement in the initial prototype's performance.
• Mechanical enhancements led to a refined prototype (WTA-1RII) with improved workspace capabilities.
• The refined system demonstrates potential for accurate and efficient WI measurement.

Conclusions:

• Robotic-assisted systems can overcome limitations of manual ultrasound measurements for WI.
• Optimized workspace performance is crucial for effective robotic guidance in cardiovascular diagnostics.
• The developed robotic system offers a promising tool for early detection of heart and cerebrovascular diseases.