Deadline:
February 29, 2008
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Summer 2008 Research
Opportunities
Application Form
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Project Title:
Robotic Active Cannula End Effector and Sensor
Design
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| Primary Investigators: Dr.
Robert J. Webster III
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Brief Description of Project:
Active cannulas are very thin “snake-like” robot
manipulators that are ideal for minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
Composed of a series of curved tubes made of superelastic metal, they
form a flexible, continuum appendage that has the capability to follow a
curved path within a confined space. They achieve this motion by the
bending produced by the telescoping translation and axial rotation of
the tubes with respect to one another. Potential medical applications
include throat and lung surgery, transgastric and fetal surgery head,
neck and sinus surgery, bio-sensor delivery, and radiofrequency
ablation.
Active
cannula modeling has progressed to the point where we can describe shape
as a function of input joints, and command end effector velocities. The
next step in this research is to design sensors and end effectors
necessary to accomplish various surgical objectives |
Nature of Supervision:
The student will work under the supervision of Dr. Webster with the
assistance of a graduate student, Caleb Rucker.
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A Brief Research Plan (period is for 10 weeks):
The
student will work with Dr. Webster and Caleb Rucker to analyze the
requirements of various types of surgery, and to design and implement a
customized end effector to accomplish one or more objectives. The
student will also be involved in studying/implementing various sensing
options including force/torque sensors or strain gauges, as well as
optical sensing. The student will perform various experiments to analyze
the performance of both the active cannula and its end effector.
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Number of Open Slots:
1
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Contact Information:
Robert J. Webster III
509 Olin Hall
615-322-0193
robert.webster@vanderbilt.edu |
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