Robotic Bioprinter Cannula for Minimally Invasive Tissue Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bioprinting methods for in vivo tissue engineering face challenges such as tissue trauma, vascularization limitations, and the need for large incisions due to bulky devices and manual control, which restrict the accuracy and volume of printed tissues.
Innovation Solution
A minimally invasive robotic system with a small diameter cannula and bio-ink ejecting mechanism, controlled by a surgical robot that follows a pre-operative plan to accurately direct motion and ink extrusion, allowing for precise three-dimensional tissue formation within the body without the need for extensive imaging devices or multiple incisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If manual control and bulky devices are used for bioprinting, then operation flexibility is maintained, but tissue trauma increases and printable volume is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with an automated robotic system that uses pre-operative imaging data and computer algorithms to control the printing head's movements and bio-ink extrusion. This substitution reduces tissue trauma by eliminating manual manipulation while maintaining precise control through automated navigation and positioning systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by acquiring complete pre-operative imaging data (CT, MRI, or ultrasound) and creating a three-dimensional model before the bioprinting procedure. This allows the robotic system to plan the entire printing path and parameters in advance, enabling minimally invasive execution with reduced tissue trauma while maintaining operational precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If large incisions are made to accommodate printing devices, then device access is improved, but surgical invasiveness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The printing device is segmented into a small-diameter cannula for insertion and a larger external control unit. The cannula can be inserted through minimal incisions, while the larger printing mechanism remains outside the body, connected via the cannula. This segmentation allows device access through small openings without requiring large incisions, reducing surgical invasiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from requiring large linear openings to enabling access through small punctures by moving the printing mechanism to a different spatial dimension - outside the body - while maintaining functional access through the small cannula insertion point. This dimensional repositioning resolves the contradiction between device access and surgical invasiveness.
3Measurement precision
If multiple incisions are made for imaging and printing, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but tissue trauma increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system integrates multiple functions into a single device: it can perform imaging (using integrated ultrasound or other imaging modalities), navigate to the target site, and execute bioprinting through the same small cannula insertion point. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate imaging incisions, maintaining diagnostic accuracy while reducing tissue trauma from multiple surgical openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the imaging function and bioprinting function into a single integrated robotic platform that accesses the body through one minimal incision. The imaging components are either integrated into the cannula or use pre-operative data, and the printing mechanism shares the same access pathway, combining previously separate procedures into a single minimally invasive operation.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If small diameter cannula is used for minimally invasive insertion, then surgical invasiveness is reduced, but printable volume is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system dynamically adjusts the cannula's position, orientation, and printing parameters in real-time based on pre-operative three-dimensional models and intraoperative feedback. By dynamically repositioning the small cannula and adjusting printing angles and layers, the system can accumulate large printable volumes despite the small insertion diameter, resolving the contradiction between minimally invasive access and printing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pre-operative imaging and three-dimensional modeling to plan the entire printing strategy before insertion. This preliminary planning allows optimization of printing paths, layer orientations, and material deposition patterns that maximize printable volume through a single small cannula insertion, eliminating the need for multiple larger incisions while achieving the required tissue volume.
Data Source
AI summary
A minimally invasive system using a surgical robot as a three-dimensional printer for fabrication of biological tissues inside the body of a subject. A preoperative plan is used to direct and control both the motion of the robot and the robotic bio-ink extrusion. The robotic motion is coordinated with the ink extrusion to form layers having the desired thickness and dimensions, and use of different types of ink enables composite elements to be laid down. Such systems have a small diameter bio-ink ejecting mechanism, generally in the form of a piston driven cannula, enabling access to regions such as joints, with limited space. The robotic control is programmed such that angular motion takes place around a pivot point at the point of insertion into the subject. The bio-inks can be stored in predetermined layers in the cannula to enable sequential dispensing from one cannula.