A tele-operated mobile ultrasound scanner using a light-weight robot

Abstract

This paper presents a new tele-operated robotic chain for real-time ultrasound image acquisition and medical diagnosis. This system has been developed in the frame of the Mobile Tele-Echography Using an Ultralight Robot European Project. A light-weight six degrees-of-freedom serial robot, with a remote center of motion, has been specially designed for this application. It holds and moves a real probe on a distant patient according to the expert gesture and permits an image acquisition using a standard ultrasound device. The combination of mechanical structure choice for the robot and dedicated control law, particularly nearby the singular configuration allows a good path following and a robotized gesture accuracy. The choice of compression techniques for image transmission enables a compromise between flow and quality. These combined approaches, for robotics and image processing, enable the medical specialist to better control the remote ultrasound probe holder system and to receive stable and good quality ultrasound images to make a diagnosis via any type of communication link from terrestrial to satellite. Clinical tests have been performed since April 2003. They used both satellite or Integrated Services Digital Network lines with a theoretical bandwidth of 384 Kb/s. They showed the tele-echography system helped to identify 66% of lesions and 83% of symptomatic pathologies.

User requirements for a medical robotic system: Enabling doctors to remotely conduct ultrasonography and physical examination

“…This obviously does not solve the problem of low geographical availability of doctors. So far, only a few remote medical robot systems have been proposed, for example, for tele-operated echography [9] and for tele-operated ultrasound scanning [10]. Arbeille et al [11] compared the diagnoses made with either a remote robotic echocardiography system or a manual echocardiography system.…”

“…Vilchis et al [17] report that the volunteer that took part as patient in their study did not feel any discomfort while being diagnosed. Patients of the study described by Delgorge et al [10] report that they felt confident while interacting with the medical robot system. Martinelli et al [15] wrote that the 58 patients in their study reported a high satisfaction level, only two were not confident.…”

Design of a Bio-Inspired 3D Orientation Coordinate System and Application in Robotised Tele-Sonography

“…The Robot Simulator has been built within Windows XP environment using OpenGL and Microsoft Visual C++. It accurately simulates the design and mobility of an actual OTELO tele-echography robot (Delgorge et al, 2005)(see figure 8). The view chosen for experimentation (shown on fig.…”

Guest Editorial Introduction to the Special Section on M-Health: Beyond Seamless Mobility and Global Wireless Health-Care Connectivity

“…The next two papers examine different aspects of a tele-ultrasound system using a light robot for holding and moving a real probe on a distant patient for remote examination and medical diagnosis. Delgorge et al present a teleoperated mobile ultrasound scanner for real-time medical ultrasound imaging acquisition [43]. Canero et al propose a user interface for the visualization of the ultrasound images [44].…”