Credit Hours System

Mechanical Design
Engineering Cairo University
Department Faculty of Engineering
MDPN423 Robotics
Engineering

Project 1 (Type C)
Group C1 – Medical Applications

Submitted by:
- Mahmoud Sayed Zaghlool 1135487
- Omar Mohsen 1135126

Submitted to: Submission Date:

Dr. Saeed Megahed 16/10/2018
Eng. Iman Abdelsalam
 Abstract

The aim of this report is to provide awareness towards the usage of robotics in the medical field. In this report,

we will discuss the use of robotics in medical industry and discuss the concept of micro robotics in medical

field.

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 Contents

Abstract ...............................................................................................................................................................I

Table of Figures ................................................................................................................................................ II

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 1

Medical Robots .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Types of Medical Robots ............................................................................................................................... 2

Robot Components......................................................................................................................................... 3

Micro-Robotics in Medical Industry.................................................................................................................. 5

Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

References .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

Table of Figures

Figure 1: Medical Robotics ................................................................................................................................ 1

Figure 2: Example of Surgical Robot ................................................................................................................ 2

Figure 3: Rehabilitation Robot (Walk Assistant in physical therapy ................................................................ 2

Figure 4: Companion Robot............................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 5: End Effector for Endoscopy Operations ............................................................................................ 4

Figure 6: Artist's Rendering of A Microbot Being Released into the Bloodstream Through A Needle ........... 5

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 Introduction

The advancements in science studies has increased over the past decade in a noticeable way. The integration

of different fields results in further advancements and hence the Robotics Science. Robotics is considered a

branch of engineering that integrates mechanical, electronics and information engineering as well as computer

science. Robotics are far more efficient and accurate than manual handling of materials or operations and

hence their use has spread from determining time and date to humanoid and medical robots.

In this report, a detailed discussion about medical robots, its types and its components. Furthermore, a brief

introduction of the micro-robotic concept in the medical industry will be available to provide a future vision

for this field in Egypt.

Figure 1: Medical Robotics

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 Medical Robots

Types of Medical Robots

There are a lot of uses for robots in the medical field. The following list mentions the top 6 uses of robotics in

medical field:

1- Surgical Robots

Surgical Robot allows the surgeon to operate on the

patient without being involved in the operation using his

hands or manual tools. They can be operated from a

workstation that is beside the operation room. These

robots operate at higher precision than humans due to the

Figure 2: Example of Surgical Robot
elimination of the human shaking and slow response.

2- Telepresence Robots

They are similar to surgical robots in every way. However, it has a better advantage as it can be

operated from a different location than the operation room. For example, the surgeon can be in a

different country. Furthermore, it can receive commands from specialists in the field by putting them

on “on the call” list to get direct guidance from them.

3- Rehabilitation Robots

This type of robots facilitates and supports old people, injured and

disabled people. They are used mainly in training and physical therapy.

4- Biorobots

They are designed to imitate movements and cognition of humans and

animals. A Good example is prosthetic arm implant for severed or

disabled arms for humans. It can be controlled directly by receiving

Figure 3: Rehabilitation Robot
signals from the human brain through dedicated connections to the (Walk Assistant in physical
therapy
brain.

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 5- Medical Transportation Robots

Used mainly in hospitals for delivering and supplying medications and meals to patients or staff

members. Hence, improving the communication channels between different parties in the hospitals as

well as improving the efficiency and removes the delay of medicine doses for critical patients.

6- Companion Robots

This type of robot acts as in-home pharmacist in which the patient

inputs the symptoms he has. Using its vast database, the robot can

inform the patient whether he can deal with it on his own and use

which medicine and the prescribed dose or otherwise inform him to

Figure 4: Companion Robot

visit a specialist for further physical diagnosis.

Robot Components

All robots consist of the same main components which are as follows:

1- Controllers

In order to operate the robot and send/receive signals to/from actuators and sensors (other components

of the robot), a controller is required. It functions as the brain to human beings. Medical robots perform

complex operations and requires high-end processing and hence a dedicated powerful processor is

required. Medical robots perform image processing, computer vision, complex algorithms and real

time operations. Best example for such type of controllers is Nexcom which is a branch of Intel

company, dedicated to manufacturing of robot processors.

2- Arm

The arm is the different links or to be precise, the mechanical structure of the robot. It acts as the

human arm. Replicating its motion, the robot arm is used to position the end effector of the robot.

3- Drives and Actuators

In order to move the arm (several links joined together by the means of joints), actuators are needed.

In order to operate the actuators, drives are needed. Drives are electronic devices that harnesses and

controls the electric signal sent to the actuator (motor). In order to operate the actuator and different

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 speeds/modes, the actuator sends specific electric signal to operate it. The actuators are the parts that

move the links. They are considered the muscles in the arm.

4- Sensors

The robot requires to obtain information in order to operate perfectly. The input of the robot can either

be manual or automatic. In order to automate the robot and make it smarter, sensors are available to

obtain data from the working environment. Examples of sensors are ultrasound sensors to obtain how

far the end effector is from an object. There are more sensors such as mechanical sensors (measure

force and torques) and temperature sensors, etc…

5- End Effectors

The end effector is the mechanical equivalent of the

human wrist. It performs the required operation when

ordered to despite its difficulty or complexity. Example

of operations are open heart surgeries or endoscopy

operations. Figure 5: End Effector for Endoscopy Operations

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 Micro-Robotics in Medical Industry

Due to recent advancements in the micro-robotics field, the human race is moving closer towards a bright

future in which tiny intelligent objects are inserted through capsules or injections to navigate in the human

body. These machines will help specialists to diagnose and treat several human diseases. The nearest

advancement in this field is using MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) to obtain high resolution

images from inside the Gastro Intestinal (GI) system in human bodies in order to diagnose and/or treat

diseases. The delivery system as mentioned earlier can either be capsules digested through the mouth or

through injections directly to the blood stream.

Figure 6: Artist's Rendering of A Microbot Being Released into the Bloodstream Through A Needle

Furthermore, the MEMS will be used in ophthalmic therapies to treat white/blue water issues or to provide

replacements for human eyes.

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 Conclusion

Throughout this report, the value of robotics in daily has been discussed in details. Thanks to advancements

in engineering fields and computer science, robotics can make our daily life easy. Extensive use of robotics in

the medical field made it easier and more accurate to perform surgical operations on patients. Furthermore,

they can imitate human and animal motion and hence providing support to disabled or injured individuals.

Hence, or otherwise, the Egyptian government must provide further financial support for this field is required

and is the main reason this topic was selected to be discussed in detail in this report.

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 References

Beasley, R. A. (12 August 2012). Medical Robots: Current Systems and Research Directions.

Bradley, J. N. (N.D), Microrobotics in Medicine

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