A major limitation of current commercial endovascular robots is the sub-optimal design of their HRIs. Most existing commercial solutions have been designed without considering natural manipulation techniques that operators rely on during bedside practice. HRIs rarely imitate the human movement patterns of the procedure, e.g., joysticks, thus limiting the operator's endovascular skills. More ergonomic HRIs that take advantage of the experience-related skills of operators are required.
The aim of this project is to address this challenge by designing and prototyping a novel HRI for robot-assisted endovascular procedures that replicate the endovascular maneuver patterns (i.e., translating and rotating instruments during catheterization) targeting a more ergonomic catheter-like design implementation. This will include finding technical solutions for enhanced actuation, sensing, and even implementation of smart materials.