Objective: A variety of medical robots have been developed in recent years. MRI, including M R angiography and morphological imaging, with its excellent soft-tissue contrast is attractive for the development of interventional =-guided therapies and operations. This paper presents a telerobotic device for use in CT-and/or MR-guided radiological interventions. A robotic device for precise needle insertion during MR-guided therapy of spinal diseases will be briefly described.Materials and Methods: Actuation of robots in an MRI environment is difficult due to the presence of strong magnetic fields. Therefore, the robot was constructed of nonmagnetic materials. The system frame was built from polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and fiber-reinforced epoxy, and actuated using ultrasonic and pneumatic motors. Completely MR-compatible sensors were developed for positioning control.Results: Accuracy evaluation procedures and phantom tests were performed, with the required accuracy of approximately 1 mm being achieved and no significant artifacts being caused by the robotic device during MR image acquisition.

In endoscopic surgery, the ability to guide the instrument is significantly decreased compared with open surgery. Rigid laparoscopic instruments offer only four of the six degrees of freedom required for the free handling of objects in space. Robotics technology can be used to restore full mobility of the endoscopic instrument. Therefore, we designed a master-slave manipulator system (ARTEMIS) for laparoscopic surgery as a prototype. The system consists of two robotic arms holding two steerable laparoscopic instruments. These two work units are controlled from a console equipped with two master arms operated by the surgeon. The systems and its components were evaluated experimentally. Laparoscopic manipulations were feasible with the ARTEMIS system. The placement of ligatures and sutures and the handling of catheters were possible in phantom models. The surgical practicability of the system was demonstrated in animal experiments. We conclude that robotic manipulators are feasible for experimental endoscopic surgery. Their clinical application requires further technical development.

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