Bedside Admittance Control of a Dual-Segment Soft Robot for Catheter-Based Interventions

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Navigation

Background:

• Robotic catheter systems offer enhanced precision for minimally invasive procedures.
• Current control systems require integration into clinical workflows for effective use.
• Soft robot catheters necessitate advanced control for complex interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a novel bedside admittance controller for robotic catheter systems.
• To enable simultaneous insertion and steering of fluid-actuated soft robot catheters.
• To assess the controller's performance in a simulated cardiac ablation task.

Main Methods:

• Development of a bedside admittance controller with a force/torque sensor and 3D-printed handle.
• Integration of a low-profile table mount for placement at the insertion site.
• Evaluation using a 2D simulated cardiac ablation task with a soft robot catheter and novice operators.

Main Results:

• Novice operators using the novel controller achieved an average position error of 0.4 mm and angle error of 4.6 degrees.
• Expert cardiologist with a standard catheter had significantly higher errors (1.0 mm position, 18.2 degrees angle).
• The controller facilitated intuitive control of the dual-channel soft robot catheter.

Conclusions:

• The proposed bedside admittance controller allows intuitive and precise control of soft robot catheters.
• Preliminary results suggest a potential advantage over standard catheters in complex interventions.
• This system shows promise for improving catheter-based interventions with advanced robotic platforms.