MRI-compatible teleoperated needle insertion with haptic feedback

In this assignment a prototype of a 1-degree-of-freedom teleoperated master-slave system was developed. The slave is able to insert a needle into a phantom inside an MRI-scanner, while the master provides the user with haptic feedback. A PHANTOM Omni (Sensable Technologies) serves as a master providing force feedback to the user. The slave is a pneumatic stepper motor, equipped with a force sensitive resistor. The master and slave were interfaced with MATLAB R2015b running on a desktop and an Arduino Uno. The MRI-compatibility of the slave and the implemen- tation of haptic feedback were evaluated. Images taken with a 0.25T scanner showed reasonable image quality, but no full MRI-compatibility was achieved. A user's response study revealed basic haptic feedback was implemented successfully, but the transparency while inside the phantom was inadequate. Results showed the used sensor proved to be a bottleneck for the system's functionality, calling for a better MRI-compatible force sensing alternative.