Graduate Student Seminar Series – Chuk Shing Jones Law

Graduate Student Seminar Series
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Location: HS610 – 155 College St, Room 610
Presentation Title: Mechanics and Design of a Follow-the-Leader Hyper-redundant Robots with Variable Stiffness for Craniosynostosis Surgery
Abstract:
Continuum robots are flexible, continuous structures inspired by biological organisms such as elephant trunks or snake bodies, enabling smooth and continuous motion in confined spaces. Their inherent mechanical compliance is often viewed as a feature of safety and adaptability, making them well-suited for minimally invasive surgery. However, their flexibility also poses difficulties in modeling and controlling them accurately under external stress. As a result, continuum robot is most effective in surgery that interacts with soft tissues.
This research addresses the challenges associated with the development and modeling of a continuum robot mechanism for medical procedures involving high contact forces. Therefore, the advantages dexterity of continuum robot can be applied to wider field of surgery. A specific surgical application is considered in this research, namely, osteotomy (bone cutting) for craniosynostosis. It is a defect that involves premature fusion of the cranial sutures leading to an abnormal head shape and functional consequences such as elevated intracranial pressure, neurocognitive deficits, and psychosocial issues. Surgery is required to cut the cranial bone in order to correct the head shape and to allow for unrestricted brain growth. Endoscopic surgical approach can be performed by inserting a bone cutting instrument through small incisions. And this approach has reduced blood loss, operative time, and cost in comparison to the open approach. However, the drawbacks of the endoscopic approach include limited control of dural sinuses for current surgical tools. The limitations and constraints in this surgical procedure demanding precise path-following motion and contact with rigid materials, and therefore motivated the investigation of the research.
Supervisor Name: Eric Diller
Year of Study: 3
Program of Study: PhD
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