Developing a Robotic System for MRI-guided Brain Surgery

Project ID: 2228cd1319 (You will need this ID for your application)

Research Theme: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

UCL Lead department: Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

Department Website

Lead Supervisor: Ziyan Guo

Project Summary:

Stereotactic neurosurgery is a minimally invasive approach to precisely apply dedicated instrumentation to the target areas. It treats various nervous system disorders like Parkinson’s Disease (PD), essential tremor, and epilepsy: PD alone affects 8.5 million people worldwide; stereotactic ablation for brain tumours increased by 400% between 2012-2018. Importantly, these figures are on the rise, primarily due to the increasing global population’s longevity, underscoring the urgent need for more effective treatment options.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-guided surgical robotics offers a timely solution to address these pressing needs. MRI can provide high-contrast images of soft tissues like the brain. With intraoperative MRI guidance, a teleoperated robot can compensate for the brain shift or deformation during the surgery, leading to enhanced treatment accuracy and significantly reduced operation time. However, there are still significant challenges for the widespread use of MRI surgical robots, including the strong magnetic field (e.g., 1.5T or 3T) and the constrained space within the MRI scanner.

This project aims to develop and validate an MRI-compatible robot system that can precisely navigate stereotactic instruments towards surgical targets under real-time MRI guidance. A robot system comprising of MR-safe actuators, a stereotactic head frame, and miniaturised manipulators will be developed. It involves both mechanical and electronic system design. Lab-based experiments will include a series of motor performance tests and accuracy tests based on a simulated stereotactic surgery task. MRI workspace and compatibility will be also validated. This multidisciplinary study involves collaboration with clinicians (neurosurgeons and radiologists) and engineering scientists with a breadth of expertise in functional neurosurgery, surgical robotics, and image navigation.

Candidates with backgrounds in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics or Robotics, or relevant experience in medical instrumentation are welcome to apply. Hands-on experience in mechanical design, 3D printing, system control and integration will be a plus.