Image-guided control of a robot for medical ultrasound

TLDR

A robot‑assisted system for medical diagnostic ultrasound has been developed. The paper presents the visual servo controller used in this system. The system employs shared control among the operator, robot controller, and ultrasound image processor, using operator‑selected image features that are recognized and tracked by multiple techniques. Feature tracking enables three‑axis image servoing that automatically compensates unwanted motion, and the system’s accuracy is demonstrated by a 3‑D reconstruction of an ultrasound phantom and an Internet‑based teleultrasound demonstration.

Abstract

A robot-assisted system for medical diagnostic ultrasound has been developed by the authors. The paper presents the visual servo controller used in this system. While the ultrasound transducer is positioned by a robot, the operator, the robot controller, and an ultrasound image processor have shared control over its motion. Ultrasound image features that can be selected by the operator are recognized and tracked by a variety of techniques. Based on feature tracking, ultrasound image servoing in three axes has been incorporated in the interface and can be enabled to automatically compensate, through robot motions, unwanted motions in the plane of the ultrasound beam. The accuracy of the system is illustrated through a 3-D reconstruction of an ultrasound phantom. An Internet-based robot-assisted teleultrasound system has also been demonstrated.