A prototype master-slave system consisting of two MR-compatible manipulators with interchangeable surgical tools: Part of a unified support system for diagnosis and treatment

A prototype master-slave system consisting of two MR-compatible manipulators with interchangeable surgical tools was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The manipulators are designed so as to fit into vertical-magnetic- field open-configuration MR imagers. They are also designed so that the surgical tool mounted at the tip of their arm is interchangeable. The MR compatibility of the manipulator including a surgical tool was evaluated by moving it close to a phantom in the field of view of an open-configuration MR imager. No noticeable deformation, but deterioration in the signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 10 percent, was observed in the MR images. Consulted clinicians then evaluated the manipulability of the master-slave system by maneuvering a pair of slave manipulators through an operation input device consisting of a pair of master manipulators. After several minutes of trial and error, they could perform each primitive motion for suturing tasks on training material mimicking human tissue.