The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Vanderbilt University

Johns Hopkins University

Ron Alterovitz

Robert J Webster, Iii

Philip Joseph Swaney

Allison Mariko Okamura

Bryan Irby Hartley

Richard Joseph Hendrick

Kenneth Y Goldberg

Gregory Chirikjian

Richard Harry Feins

Robert James Webster

Erik Lamers

Noah Cowan

Hunter Bryant Gilbert

Arthur William Mahoney

Andria Annette Remirez

Luis Guillermo Torres

Alan David Kuntz

Systems for controlling concentric tube probes are disclosed. In some examples, the system includes a concentric tube position display interface and a control system. The concentric tube display interface includes a display for displaying visual feedback to a user indicating a position (and possibly orientation) of a tip of a concentric tube probe and a user input device for receiving user input from the user designating a goal position (and possibly orientation) for the tip of the concentric tube probe. The control system is configured for interactive-rate motion planning of the concentric tube probe by creating, in real-time or near real-time, a motion plan to move the tip of the concentric tube probe to the goal position (and possibly orientation) while avoiding contact by the concentric tube probe with one or more obstacles and for configuring the concentric tube probe as specified by the motion plan.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for controlling a concentric tube probe

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for transoral lung access. In some examples, the system includes a bronchoscope, a concentric tube probe deployable from within the bronchoscope, and a steerable needle nested deployable from within the concentric tube probe. The system can include a control system for deploying the concentric tube probe from the bronchoscope into a lung to a location where a target is within a range of the steerable needle and for deploying the steerable needle from the location to the target.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for transoral lung access

Disclosed is a system for percutaneously steering a surgical needle. Needle steering is accomplished by taking advantage of a deflection force imparted on the bevel tip of the needle by the tissue medium as the needle is pushed through the tissue. By controlling the translation speed and rotation angle of the bevel, a flexible needle may be steered substantially without deflecting or distorting the tissue. The control inputs (translation speed and rotation angle) are computed based on a 'bicycle' non-holonomic kinematic model that is a function of mechanical properties of the tissue medium. The system may be used with image-based feedback, which may provide for feedback-based refinement of the model as the needle propagates through the tissue.

Distal bevel-tip needle control device and algorithm

Growing community of inventors

Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America

Ron Alterovitz