Project Title:

Surgical Needle Tip and Firing Mechanism Design

Dr. Robert J. Webster III

Brief Description of Project:

Needles are widely used in surgery for biopsies, injections, and even thermal treatments (i.e. “cooking a tumor from the inside out”). Smaller lancing needles are also useful for blood sugar monitoring for patients with diabetes. Common features of needle insertion and lancing are membrane penetration effects, which can deflect the needle and/or cause pain.

In the Mechanical & Eletromechanical Design (MED) Laboratory, we are conducting research into needle tip geometry and insertion profile (e.g. speed, depth, vibration upon entry, etc.) to mitigate pain in lancing and to cause biopsy or therapy delivery needles to accurately achieve subsurface targets. We are also developing “steerable” needles that can achieve curved trajectories within tissue to compensate for errors and even navigate around obstacles.

Nature of Supervision:

The student will work under the supervision of Dr. Webster with the assistance of a graduate student who has previously spent several years in medical device design in the lancing industry, Ray Lathrop.

A Brief Research Plan (period is for 10 weeks):

The student will assist with design and instrumentation of an experimental testing apparatus for needle insertion that will enable high quality monitoring of membrane puncture with a needle. Constructing this system will require mechanical design and fabrication of a needle insertion actuation mechanism, and instrumentation of the system with force, optical, and/or other relevant sensors. The student will also have the opportunity to contribute to theoretical models of needle-tissue interaction, and carry out experiments to validate the predictions of such models.

Number of Open Slots:

1

Contact Information:

Robert J. Webster III
509 Olin Hall
615-322-0193
robert.webster@vanderbilt.edu