Project Assignment: Radio-frequency Ablation Robot

Radio-frequency ablation is a procedure in which radio waves are generated on a tip of a needle. The radio waves cause the exposed tissue to heat up causing cell death. This method is used to destroy cancer cells in various organs. In this project, we will focus on liver cancer.

In liver radio-frequency ablation, a surgeon:
i)  places a needle into a lesion (e.g. cancer) located in the liver,
ii) starts radio-frequency ablation,
iii) removes that needle,
iv) after which he places another needle, and
v) repeats the procedure as many times as needed (sometimes, over 10 times).


The goal of this project is to develop a robotic device to consecutively place series of needles in a lesion and allow for surgeon to perform radio frequency ablation.

Design Requirements:
- The robot can be placed on a manually wheeled cart or on the patents table or in some other way we find suitable.
- Assume that the liver is a sphere with a 10 cm diameter.
- Assume that the force needed to push through the liver is 10 N.
- Orientation of the needle around its own axis is not important.