Zelin Zhang
University of California, Irvine
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The Autonomous Tumor Detection and Excision Robot
Background: A new technology called magnetic marker was involved in recent surgery as a solution to locate tumors in a patient’s body. By injecting a magnetic nano-particle, a magnetic field will form around the tumor.
Problem: Design a robot that can autonomously find a tumor and use a scalpel to cut around it within a given threshold margin.
Solution: We will simulate a tumor with injecting magnetic Fe3O3 nano-particles into a material, and utilize a magnetic sensor to determine a path around the fake tumor for the scalpel to follow using a belt-driven robot
Block Diagram
Preliminary CAD design
Preliminary Path Planning Algorithm Results
●“Valid Cut Area” will be determined as the points with a magnetic field strength within the desired range.
●Path planning algorithm will select the actual cut path from valid points by selecting the “most circular” trajectory, as defined by perpendicularity between the cutting direction and a line between the current position and the centroid of the “Valid Cut Area”.
Assembled robot and magnet setup
