Increasing Reachability in Robotic Ultrasound Through Base Placement and Tool Design

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Robotic ultrasound visualises internal organs in real-time for various medical applications without the harm of X-rays. The ultrasound probe is attached to the robot's end effector using custom-developed probe holders. This paper analyzes the impact of different probe holder geometries on the robot's base placement and reachability. METHODS: We propose a method to improve probe holder geometries and robot base placements to enhance reachability, validated using a 7-DoF serial manipulator (KUKA iiwa 7) for ultrasound scans of multiple subcutaneous body parts. RESULTS: Without additional space restrictions, the number of robot base positions with high reachability could be strongly increased with an improved probe holder geometry. Under space constraints, previously unreachable target poses became accessible by adapting the probe holder geometry. CONCLUSIONS: Our method provides an automated solution for determining improved probe holder geometries, enhancing reachability to target areas, especially when the robot's placing area is limited.