Non-Coplanar Control Station for Single-Operator Catheter Robotics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic vascular interventional procedures face challenges in efficiently controlling multiple elongated medical devices due to the need for simultaneous manipulation of different controls, especially in navigating complex vasculature and performing procedures like neurovascular intervention, percutaneous coronary intervention, and peripheral vascular intervention, where current systems require multiple operators or inadequate support.
Innovation Solution
A control system with integrated controls on a non-co-planar housing allows a single operator to manipulate multiple elongated medical devices using thumb and finger controls for linear speed, position, and degrees of freedom, facilitating simultaneous operation of guidewires and catheters through a robotic drive system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple elongated medical devices are controlled simultaneously using existing robotic systems, then procedural complexity increases, but the need for multiple operators arises which reduces operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent control modules, each responsible for a specific elongated medical device. Each module contains its own control elements (buttons, joysticks, or other interface components) that can be operated independently, allowing a single operator to control multiple devices without overwhelming complexity in any one interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic control system is designed with universal control elements that can be configured to control different types of elongated medical devices (guidewires, catheters, stents, embolization coils). The same basic control interface structure serves multiple functions across different device types, reducing the need for specialized controls for each device and enabling single-operator management of multiple devices.
2Productivity
If a single operator controls multiple elongated medical devices, then operational efficiency improves, but the ease of operation decreases due to the need to manipulate multiple controls simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The control interface is segmented into multiple independent control elements distributed across the system. Each elongated medical device has dedicated control elements that can be manipulated independently, allowing the operator to focus on one device at a time while maintaining control over multiple devices simultaneously without any single control being overly complex.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system utilizes spatial arrangement of control elements in three-dimensional space, allowing operators to access different control functions through different spatial dimensions. This may include vertical stacking of controls, lateral arrangement, or even spatial separation across multiple surfaces, enabling intuitive access to multiple controls without requiring the operator to reach across a single crowded interface.
3Ease of operation
If multiple operators are used to control elongated medical devices, then ease of operation improves through shared control burden, but productivity decreases due to coordination requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is divided into separate, independently operable control modules for each elongated medical device. This segmentation allows a single operator to assume control of multiple devices by accessing each device's dedicated control elements, eliminating the need for multiple operators and their associated coordination overhead while maintaining manageable control complexity through modular design.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling a robotic drive configured to move one or more elongated medical devices. The system may include a housing comprising a first surface and a second surface not co-planar with the first surface, a first control integrated with the first surface and manipulable by a first digit of a first hand of a user to select one of the one or more elongated medical devices, and a second control integrated with the second surface and manipulable by a second digit of the first hand of the user to instruct the robotic drive to move the selected elongated medical device in a first degree of freedom, wherein the first control and the second control are simultaneously manipulable by the first digit and the second digit.