Design optimization study of a shape memory alloy active needle for biomedical applications

Majority of cancer interventions today are performed percutaneously using needle-based procedures, i.e. through the skin and soft tissue. The difficulty in most of these procedures is to attain a precise navigation through tissue reaching target locations. To overcome this challenge, active needles have been proposed recently where actuation forces from shape memory alloys (SMAs) are utilized to assist the maneuverability and accuracy of surgical needles. In the first part of this study, actuation capability of SMA wires was studied. The complex response of SMAs was investigated via a MATLAB implementation of the Brinson model and verified via experimental tests. The isothermal stress-strain curves of SMAs were simulated and defined as a material model in finite element analysis (FEA). The FEA was validated experimentally with developed prototypes. In the second part of this study, the active needle design was optimized using genetic algorithm aiming its maximum flexibility. Design parameters influencing the steerability include the needle's diameter, wire diameter, pre-strain and its offset from the needle. A simplified model was presented to decrease the computation time in iterative analyses. Integration of the SMA characteristics with the automated optimization schemes described in this study led to an improved design of the active needle.