Autonomous Robot for Removing Superficial Traumatic Blood

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Surgical Technology
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Manual blood removal during surgery is labor-intensive and can lead to surgeon fatigue.
• Effective blood management is crucial for patient safety and surgical outcomes.
• Current methods rely on manual techniques, highlighting a need for automation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and develop an autonomous robotic system for efficient blood removal from surgical incision sites.
• To automate the repetitive task of blood clearance, thereby reducing surgeon workload and fatigue.
• To enhance surgical safety and efficiency through robotic assistance.

Main Methods:

• A robotic system was designed, incorporating dual cameras, a 6-DoF robotic arm, and an integrated aspirator.
• A path-planning algorithm was developed to guide the aspirator tip for optimal blood removal.
• The system was tested using simulated bleeding experiments on ex vivo porcine tissue.

Main Results:

• The system successfully detected blood region contours and reconstructed their spatial coordinates.
• The autonomous blood removal robot (BRR) effectively cleared blood from simulated incisions.
• Experimental results demonstrated the robot's capability in thorough blood removal.

Conclusions:

• This research presents the first autonomous medical robot designed specifically for blood removal during surgery.
• The developed BRR robot successfully automates a critical surgical skill traditionally performed manually by surgeons.
• The findings suggest a potential for robotic systems to assist surgeons in managing intraoperative bleeding.