(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new robot could soon give orthopedic surgeons the
ability to make better diagnoses, offer more appropriate treatments, and get a
clearer idea of post-operative successes and failures when it comes to their
patients.
Scott Banks, a University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineer in
Gainesville, has designed a robot to shadow and actually shoot X-ray video of
people with orthopedic injuries as they walk, climb stairs, stand up or do other
normal activities. The goal? To enhance static images of the bones, muscles and
joints with an interior view of them during activity.
Banks says, "Our goal is come up with a way to observe and measure how joints
are moving when people are actually using them. We think this will be
tremendously powerful, not only for research but also in the clinical setting as
well."
The robot is actually two robots in one. One robot shoots the X-ray video while
the other holds the image sensor. Banks has one robot up and running already. It
has a one-meter mechanical arm and is the same robot that is widely used in
robotically assisted surgeries. Banks and his team of graduate students have
re-engineered that robot to shadow knees, shoulders or other joints with its
hand as the patient moves. A patient will wear an LED-lit patch on the body part
that is intended for targeting. The patch, several cameras around the room and a
networked computer tell the robots to focus in on and track a particular joint.
When the robot is complete, the mechanical arm will hold lightweight equipment
that can shoot X-rays, while another robot will hold a sensor that captures
images of the body as moving videos. The robots will be attached to a fixed
base, but Banks says there is room for a person to move around normally within
their reach. He says, in the future, "We could put these robots on wheels, and
they could follow [us] around."
Banks says more research is needed to improve the accuracy of the robot. He has
already applied for a grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue
work on the project.
SOURCE: University of Florida, published online, Jan. 20, 2006
