The robot technology was introduced into a new stereotactic neurosurgery system for applications to biopsy, blind surgery, and functional neurosurgery. The authors have developed a newly designed prototype microsurgical robot, designed to allow a biopsy needle to reach the target such as a cerebral tumor within a brain automatically on the basis of the X, Y, and Z coordinates obtained by CT scanner. This robot is so small that it can be driven in a CT scanner gantry. It consists mainly of the link mechanism and the insertion mechanism. We constructed the link mechanism and investigated its working space.
A TiNi shape-memory alloy was experimentally manufactured by the vacuum hot pressing method, using pure titanium and nickel powders. The homogeneity and density of the TiNi alloy obtained by this method varies according to the temperature and pressure applied during vacuum hot pressing as well as the holding time. The results of studies of mechanical and physical properties confirmed that the alloys obtained show extremely effective shape-memory characteristics. Thus, it was demonstrated that the TiNi shape-memory alloys can indeed also be produced by the vacuum hot pressing method using elemental titanium and nickel powders
The design of a robot for functional stereotactic surgery which is under construction in our laboratory is described. The main features include operation inside the computed tomographic (CT) scanner, the possibility of intraoperative CT scanning and complete handling of the stereotactic probes by the robot.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.