In conventional ultrasound imaging, the probe must be pressed against the potentially fractured region of the forearm, which can be extremely painful for young patients. This project aims at the development of a contactless robot-assisted ultrasound scanning system to improve diagnostic outcomes and reduce patient discomfort during fracture detection procedures. To accurately scan the target area, the robot must understand the exact position and orientation of the forearm inside the water tank. This requires precise underwater hand-eye calibration, enabling the robot to accurately target the region of interest. Additionally, the motion planning system must dynamically adapt to different forearm sizes to ensure efficient and consistent scans.
What you will do:
- Research existing hand-eye calibration methods and identify the most suitable approach for underwater ultrasound scanning applications.
- Design and construct a case using CAD software to hold a camera that could be used to perform underwater calibration.
- Implement underwater hand-eye calibration techniques to enable automatic identification of the scanning area on the forearm.
- Develop and optimize a motion planning algorithm that can adapt the scan trajectory to different sizes and shapes of the forearm submerged in a water tank.
- Test and validate the developed system using the ultrasound station and a pediatric forearm phantom.
What you should already know:
Python or C++
ROS
What you will deliver:
A functional prototype of the robot-assisted ultrasound system capable of performing contactless scanning.
Nice to have:
Familiarity with MoveIt, computer vision, and CAD.