Development of a remote-control system for catheterization capable of high-speed force feedback

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Surgical Technology
• Interventional Radiology

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery, or interventional radiology (IVR), offers patient benefits but poses occupational radiation exposure risks.
• Teleoperation systems can mitigate exposure, but require rapid force feedback for safe catheterization procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-speed teleoperation system for IVR.
• To achieve force feedback sensation with a delay of less than 20 milliseconds for enhanced surgical safety.

Main Methods:

• A master-slave teleoperation system for catheterization was engineered.
• A compact, high-speed force feedback system utilizing an electro-attractive material (EAM) device was implemented.
• UDP communication transmitted master movements to the slave, and collision forces were relayed back to the master device.

Main Results:

• The developed system achieved force feedback delays of 10.33 ms (ON/OFF control) and 15.64 ms (linear control), both under the 20 ms target.
• The electro-attractive material effectively stopped master and slave device movement upon collision detection.
• The system demonstrated successful high-speed force feedback during simulated catheterization.

Conclusions:

• A master-slave teleoperation system with high-speed force feedback for catheterization was successfully developed.
• The system's low-delay performance meets the critical requirements for safe IVR procedures.
• This technology has the potential to significantly improve the safety of interventional radiology for both practitioners and patients.