ARTISTE - Autonomous Robotic Suturing for fetal surgery

Single-Port Access surgery (SPA) demonstrates significant potential as an alternative to traditional multi-port Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). In contrast to conventional MIS, SPA employs a single incision or a natural orifice to reach the surgical site. SPA is particularly well-suited for treating Open Spina Bifida (OSB), which necessitates strict limitations on port diameter (10 mm O.D.). In OSB repair, suturing is widely regarded as the most demanding and time-intensive task. The ARTISTE project endeavors to address this highly challenging task by using KUL's macro-micro robotic system, along with the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) techniques. The project will commence by exploring multi-sensor fusion to ensure reliable and accurate multi-arm instrument proprioception, followed by path planning and AR/VR visualization for in-utero suturing. Ultimately, the project aims to demonstrate the autonomous suturing capabilities of the macro-micro system under environmental contact. If receiving approval from ethical committee, the autonomous suturing demonstration will be carried out in collaboration with the clinical partner on two or three pregnant sheep.

Keywords:autonomous suturing, robot-assisted fetal surgery, deep learning, continuum/flexible robots, augmented reality

Disciplines:Mechatronics and robotics not elsewhere classified, Mobile and distributed robotics, Robotics and automatic control