Development and Control of Smart End effector for Robot assisted Epidural Needle insertion

Epidural injection is a medical intervention to inject therapeutics directly at the vicinity of the spinal cord and the nerves branching from it. This procedure may be performed for regional anesthesia, e.g., for painless labour, or pain management, e.g., for persistent low back pain. For epidural injection, a long thin needle is inserted into the patient’s spinal cavities through the skin and underlying soft tissues. Accurate insertion of the needle is a precise task that unless performed correctly may result in irreversible damage to the nerves or spinal cord. In this project, a remote-controlled robotic system is proposed, developed, and tested for precise and safe robot-assisted epidural injection. With this technology, the physician uses a haptic interface to control the robot remotely. The robot follows the physician’s lead on needle insertion while monitoring the needle pressure and insertion depth for safety purposes. The robotic system also uses artificial intelligence to detect if the needle’s tip is inside the target area.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jake E Barralet

Student:

Partner:

Kinova Robotics

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Program: