Robotic High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) Manipulator System for Critical Systems for Trauma and Transport (CSTAT)

The main advantages of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) are its non-invasive nature and that therapy occurs deep within a patient's body without affecting the intervening tissue. It is an ideal technology to use with a robotic system in a battlefield environment. This is a proposal to develop a robotic HIFU system by a) developing a robotic manipulator to control a HIFU device, b) integrating the robotic HIFU system with the Life Support and for Trauma and Transport (LSTAT) system, and c) establishing the efficacy of the system on prototype injuries. Our innovation includes a master-slave teleoperated robotic system designed specifically for remote HIFU manipulation. Energid's Actin robotic software toolkit will support innovative mechanical designs for the master and slave manipulators. The system will be controlled through a high fidelity, stable force reflective mechanism that optimally couples in the presence of both large and small communication latencies. In addition, we will consider software approaches to resolve the data communication latency problem. The integrated telerobotic HIFU surgery system will provide platform stability, accurate patient/robot registration, and precise positioning.