Robotics and Imaging

Recent technological advances in surgery have resulted in the development of a broad range of new techniques that have reduced patient trauma, shortened hospitalisation, and improved diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcome. They have enabled the advance and clinical applications of minimally invasive procedures, computer assisted surgery and medical robotics. The next decade is likely to witness an accelerated development in these areas, driven by the maturity of instrument design, versatility of imaging techniques, rapid advancement of biotechnology and computer science, and relentless efforts in establishing localized genesis and progression of diseases. The future of surgery is leading towards a closer integration of information technology, biotechnology and physical sciences.

The Robotics and Imaging Research Group (until recently known as the Surgical Computing and Imaging (SCI) research group) was formed in September 2000 in response to and to further promote this integration. The Group aims to address fundamental research issues related to the future development of minimally invasive surgery and promote a synergy in the areas of Surgical Oncology and Technology, Medical Image Computing, Biomedical Engineering, Robotics, Man-Machine Interfacing, Virtual Reality and Bio-Medical Simulation.

Although minimally invasive surgery is becoming well established and has the potential for replacing most of the open procedures currently carried out today, there are still challenging technological and scientific issues that need to be addressed in order to release its full potential. Training and assessment of the required psychomotor skills using sophisticated virtual training environments is widely ackonwledged as a key step in the further development of minimally invasive surgery. Computer assisted surgery and medical robotics are very promising fields of research that aim to augment the capabilities of surgeons. The application of these new technologies, however, also brings a number of new problems in surgical skills training. The complexity of instrument controls, restricted vision and mobility, difficult hand-eye co-ordination, the lack of tactile perception and a high degree of manual dexterity of the operator are additional issues to be tackled. Advances in biotechnology are prompting the establishment of wearable and implantable sensors for distributed mobile monitoring of physiological and chemical variables before, during and after a surgical intervention. The use of these type of devices will evolve from pure observation to treatment and intervention as the technology matures.

The work carried out by the Robotics and Imaging Group aims to facilitate the integration and use of state-of-the-art techniques and technology into the clinical and research work of the Department through both in-house development and off-the-shelf solutions. Our research can be subdivided into the following major topics:

• Image Guided Intervention and Robotic Surgery
  
• Video Based Tracking, Modelling and Rendering
  
• Bio-mechanical Modelling and Simulation
  
• Visualisation and Augmented Reality
  
• Implantable and Wearable Sensing

Contact -

Dr Fernando Bello

Department of Biosurgery and Surgical Technology
Imperial College London
10th Floor QEQM Building
St Mary’s Hospital, Praed St
London W2 1NY, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 207 886 1788
Fax: +44 (0) 207 886 1810
E-mail: F.Bello@imperial.ac.uk