Robotic Catheter Virtual Guidance for Instinctive Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current user interface tools for robotic catheters lack features that facilitate instinctive driving, particularly in navigating through a patient's anatomy, and fail to effectively correct for catheter roll or twist, complicating the process of minimally invasive surgery.
Innovation Solution
A robotic catheter system with a flexible catheter equipped with sensors and a visual display that generates a virtual indicator to show the direction and amount of articulation, along with a controller that receives user inputs to articulate the catheter accordingly, and includes controls to rotate the virtual indicator and articulate the catheter without rotating the catheter itself.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensorizing the catheter with FOSSL or electromagnetic sensing is used to sense catheter shape and position, then catheter visualization capability is improved, but operator training complexity and interpretation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the catheter that replicates its physical behavior and orientation. This virtual catheter is displayed on a 2D screen and responds to operator inputs in the same way the physical catheter responds to manipulation, providing intuitive visual feedback without requiring interpretation of multiple 2D images.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual catheter acts as an intermediary between the operator and the complex sensor data. Instead of directly interpreting multiple 2D fluoroscopic images, the operator interacts with the simplified virtual representation that automatically processes sensor inputs and presents intuitive visual feedback.
2Ease of operation
If traditional user interface tools are used for catheter control, then device simplicity is maintained, but instinctive driving capability and navigation precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time visual feedback by displaying a virtual catheter that immediately responds to operator inputs. When the operator manipulates the controller, the virtual catheter's position and orientation on the screen change correspondingly, allowing the operator to see the effect of their actions before executing them on the physical catheter.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical control interfaces with a virtual reality-based control system. Instead of directly manipulating physical catheter components, the operator interacts with a virtual representation that translates their inputs into precise catheter movements through electronic control of pullwires or actuators.
3Loss of information
If virtual reality-based user interface is implemented, then instinctive driving and visualization are improved, but device complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a simplified virtual copy of the catheter that preserves essential orientation and position information while eliminating complex interpretation requirements. The virtual catheter model processes sensor data through algorithms that maintain fidelity to the physical catheter's behavior without requiring complex computational resources.
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic catheter system may include a flexible catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, and an articulating portion at the distal end, it may further include a sensor coupled with the flexible catheter at or near the distal end, a visual display for displaying an image of at least part of the flexible catheter, a processor for generating a virtual indicator displayed on the image of the flexible catheter, where the virtual indicator indicates a direction of articulation and/or an amount of articulation of the articulating portion of the catheter, and a controller coupled with the proximal end of the flexible catheter to receive a user input and articulate the articulating portion of the catheter in response to the user input.