José M. Sabater-Navarro

Steps in the development of a robotic scrub nurse

This paper describes how a robotic scrub nurse has been developed to assist human scrub nurses (also called delivery scrub nurses) during surgical interventions. The developed system in this work (nicknamed Quirubot) is equipped with a speech recognition module to recognize the requested surgical instrument; Quirubot locates this element on a storage tray using computer vision and pattern recognition and picks the element from the tray placing it on an interchange tray where the human scrub nurse can finally use this tool. Moreover, to implement the manipulation of surgical instruments, an electromagnetic gripper has been adapted to pick and place them. Fanuc LR Mate 200iB robot has been electrically modified to add a new connector devoted to control the electromagnetic gripper. Nowadays Quirubot can identify up to 27 surgical instruments and more than 82 spoken instructions; the advantages of the system have been demonstrated using a group of experienced and intermediate skilled scrub nurses in a open abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery simulation (experiments performed in a robotics lab and an operating room). After this study, the use of a robotic scrub nurse is justified in an nBio operating room to improve the system up to obtaining a more robust version to be used at the Hospital Universitario de Sant Joan dAlacant.

A Comparative Analysis of 2D and 3D Tasks for Virtual Reality Therapies Based on Robotic-Assisted Neurorehabilitation for Post-stroke Patients

Post-stroke neurorehabilitation based on virtual therapies are performed completing repetitive exercises shown in visual electronic devices, whose content represents imaginary or daily life tasks. Currently, there are two ways of visualization of these task. 3D virtual environments are used to get a three dimensional space that represents the real world with a high level of detail, whose realism is determinated by the resolucion and fidelity of the objects of the task. Furthermore, 2D virtual environments are used to represent the tasks with a low degree of realism using techniques of bidimensional graphics. However, the type of visualization can influence the quality of perception of the task, affecting the patients sensorimotor performance. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate if there were differences in patterns of kinematic movements when post-stroke patients performed a reach task viewing a virtual therapeutic game with two different type of visualization of virtual environment: 2D and 3D. Nine post-stroke patients have participated in the study receiving a virtual therapy assisted by PUPArm rehabilitation robot. Horizontal movements of the upper limb were performed to complete the aim of the tasks, which consist in reaching peripheral or perspective targets depending on the virtual environment shown. Various parameter types such as the maximum speed, reaction time, path length, or initial movement are analyzed from the data acquired objectively by the robotic device to evaluate the influence of the task visualization. At the end of the study, a usability survey was provided to each patient to analysis his/her satisfaction level. For all patients, the movement trajectories were enhanced when they completed the therapy. This fact suggests that patients motor recovery was increased. Despite of the similarity in majority of the kinematic parameters, differences in reaction time and path length were higher using the 3D task. Regarding the success rates were very similar. In conclusion, the using of 2D environments in virtual therapy may be a more appropriate and comfortable way to perform tasks for upper limb rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, in terms of accuracy in order to effectuate optimal kinematic trajectories.

Supervised and dynamic neuro-fuzzy systems to classify physiological responses in robot-assisted neurorehabilitation.

This paper presents the application of an Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) based on neural networks combined with Fuzzy Logic systems to classify physiological reactions of subjects performing robot-assisted rehabilitation therapies. First, the theoretical background of a neuro-fuzzy classifier called S-dFasArt is presented. Then, the methodology and experimental protocols to perform a robot-assisted neurorehabilitation task are described. Our results show that the combination of the dynamic nature of S-dFasArt classifier with a supervisory module are very robust and suggest that this methodology could be very useful to take into account emotional states in robot-assisted environments and help to enhance and better understand human-robot interactions.

Dielectric characterization of water glucose solutions using a transmission/reflection line method

Abstract Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disease that affects millions of people worldwide. In order to be managed, it requires the individuals to measure their blood glucose level in an uncomfortable way several times every day. Thereby, a reliable non-invasive, non-painful blood glucose monitoring system is desirable. Microwave technology has been regarded previously to develop such a sensor by dielectric means, but no clear dielectric characterization of blood glucose dielectric behavior has been hitherto shown. In this paper, a novel study of the effect on the dielectric behavior of water when glucose is added is presented, as a simplified case of blood glucose dielectric behavior. Different water glucose solutions have been dielectrically characterized using a transmission/reflection line method and the effect of the changes of the glucose level in the dielectric behavior has been discussed. Conclusions concerning the development of a non-invasive blood glucose sensor are offered and their validity is discussed.

Integration of heterogeneous robotic systems in a surgical scenario

This paper defines what the authors named Modular Operating Room, as a heterogeneous system with different subsystems and devices that should interact between them in a surgical scenario. This is an evolution of the concept of Intelligent Operating Room, that has led us to large and expensive OR. The paper uses ROS to define a new package that manages the communications between different devices that can appear in a surgical scenario, in such a way that the real surgical scenario can be made with any combination of these devices. One simplified application consisting on the automatic insertion of an endoscopic camera on a trocar is shown as an example of integration.

Toward an enhanced modular operating room

This paper describes the design and integration of miniature wired robots into a modular and intelligent operation room focused on performing single-incision laparoscopic surgery. These devices were designed to be moved by a robotic arm. Its position was tracked by a tracking camera which consisted of camera and light miniature robots, having the former a stepper motor in order to provide a tilt turn. Some experiments were conducted in order to test the integration of these devices into the system.

Comparison of predictive models for staging prostate cancer

This work presents a comparison between different predictive models with the aim of making the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer in an automatic way. Nowadays, the estimations of size, localization and extension (stage) of the disease are made using the knowledge of previous cases. This paper presents an easy tool that allows using this information to have a new software application to predict the staging of the disease and to store the data. Besides, the application improves the present visualization tools for the prostate cancer, as in 2D visualization as a 3D volume.