How Robotic Medical Solutions Can Automate Surgical Procedures

Many surgical procedures require a high degree of precision and a steady hand. Good surgeons practice for years to develop these skills. However, with advances in robotic devices for medical procedures, many medical solutions are being found that do not take up the limited time and expertise of a surgeon. Instead, a good number of tests and minor operations are being carried out by automated devices.

Any surgical device or tool needs to have certain qualities in order to be useful in the medical field. They need to deliver a high degree of precision and accuracy while being lightweight and minimally invasive. Robotic medical tools also need to deliver power in a very compact frame and be able to respond to the environment in which they are working. Hence, these devices require compact, high torque motors to perform operations and servo motors to create a feedback loop to ensure reliability and accuracy.

Case Study - Automated Lung Biopsy

Lung biopsies are performed to sample lung tissue to test for diseases such as lung cancer. The typical procedure calls for a physician to use a CT scanner to manually guide a needle into the lungs. The physician takes a scan and then adjusts the position of the needle. These steps are repeated up to 10 times until the needle is in its proper place and a sample can be taken. This is a long and uncomfortable process for a patient under light anesthesia.

A newly developed robotic sampling device is able to utilize a smaller series of scans and adjustments, typically only four, to automate and accelerate the process. A radiologist can perform this procedure by remote control and reduce the number of total scans, ultimately decreasing the exposure to both the patient and doctor.

System Design

In order to have an automated biopsy robot, many stringent design specifications had to be met. The key to the system is a set of four servo motors that orient the needle, power a pinion drive, and a final motor to rotate the passive roller. Each high torque motor provides a 10 Newton piercing force within a 10 millimeter sized motor coupled to a minuscule 10 millimeter gearbox.

Clearly, delivering a high torque motor that can meet such extreme size restrictions is a breakthrough in servo motor technology. The entire unit is designed to sit on a patient's chest, so the entire device is extremely lightweight. The servo motors combine with a microcontroller to create a feedback system that allows an efficient harvesting process that cuts down on procedure time and patient discomfort.

In the highly complex and technical healthcare field, medical solutions often require serious engineering capabilities. Miniaturized, high torque motors have provided automated tools to facilitate delicate procedures. Saving time and reducing costs while improving patient care is the ultimate goal of any medical solution and is the best way to improve the current ailing healthcare system. The application of high precision components to assist the medical expertise of doctors will continue revolutionize how patients are treated.

Chris Harmen is an author for MicroMo Medical Solutions, the leading medical industry partner providing servo motors and high precision components.

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