Browse Technologies

Displaying 11 - 20 of 62


Compliant Insertion, Motion, and Force Control of Continuum Robots

Vanderbilt researchers have developed a framework for compliant insertion with hybrid motion and force control of continuum robots. This technology expands the capabilities of robotic surgery by providing continuum robots with the ability to autonomously discern, locate, and react to contact along their length and calculate forces at the tip, thus enabling quick and safe deployment of snake-like robots into deep anatomical passages or unknown environments.


Licensing Contact

Masood Machingal

615.343.3548

Dexterous Robotic Wrist and Gripper for Extreme Precision Micro-surgical Maneuvers in Confined Spaces

This invention presents a robotic wrist and gripper that operate with three independent degrees of freedom (yaw, pitch and roll) for increased dexterity in minimally invasive surgical procedures. This is the smallest robotic wrist of its kind, and due to its size and unparalleled dexterity, this wrist enables complex surgical maneuvers for minimally invasive procedures in highly confined spaces. Examples of surgical areas benefiting from use of this wrist include natural orifice surgery, single port access surgery, and minimally invasive surgery. In particular, the proposed wrist allows for very high precision roll about the longitudinal axis of the gripper while overcoming problems of run-out motion typically encountered in existing wrists. Thus this wrist is particularly suitable for extreme precision maneuvers for micro-surgery in confined spaces.


Licensing Contact

Masood Machingal

615.343.3548
Medical Devices

Point of Care Rheological Assay for Sickle Cell Disease

Vanderbilt researchers have created a novel technology for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease states using the rheological properties of a blood sample with a lateral flow membrane.


Licensing Contact

Ashok Choudhury

615.322.2503

Higher Accuracy Image-Guidance in Surgery

Vanderbilt engineers have designed and built a device that improves the accuracy of image-guidance systems (IGS) during surgery. The device creates a custom,  non-slip fit over the head and provides a rigid platform for attaching optical tracking markers to the patient, which is a critical component of image-guided neurosurgical procedures. The device can be used to improve the accuracy of IGS in other areas of the anatomy as well.


Licensing Contact

Ashok Choudhury

615.322.2503
Medical Devices

Trackerless Image-Guidance Using a Surgical Microscope

Researchers at Vanderbilt have developed a new image-guided, trackerless surgical microscope system to be used in soft tissue surgeries. The current method is to use a surgical microscope along with an image-guided system. This new design eliminates the need for a separate image-guidance system; the entire guidance environment can be realized within the microscope environment.


Licensing Contact

Philip Swaney

615.322.1067

Inventors

Michael Miga

PosiSeat(TM): Assured Seating of Threaded Surgical Components

Vanderbilt presents an intraoperative device for taking the guesswork out of whether or not a threaded component is securely affixed to bone. This device is an anchor driver that automatically releases upon proper seating of the anchor on the bone of interest.


Licensing Contact

Taylor Jordan

615.936.7505

Image Guidance System for Breast Cancer Surgery

Vanderbilt researchers have developed an image guidance system that aims to reduce the revision rate for breast conserving surgeries through the use of intraoperative tumor location. The platform integrates MRI imaging, optical tracking, tracked ultrasound, and patient specific biomechanical models to provide a superior tumor localization end result.


Licensing Contact

Philip Swaney

615.322.1067

Breast Tumor Margin Detection System Using Spatially Offset Raman Spectroscopy

Vanderbilt University researchers have developed a technology that uses spatially offset Raman spectroscopy to obtain depth-resolved information from the margins of tumors. This helps to determine positive or negative tumor margins in applications such as breast lumpectomy, and the technology is currently being investigated for breast cancer margin detection.


Licensing Contact

Ashok Choudhury

615.322.2503

Cuffed Inner Cannula and Flexible Outer Cannula Tracheostomy Tube

This new tracheostomy tube design prevents the need for decannulation when changing from a cuffed to cuffless (or vice versa) tracheostomy. It also enables a comfortable and fit in patients with both large and small neck diameters. The tube enhances patient safety by maintaining the airway at all times when downsizing or upsizing.


Licensing Contact

Taylor Jordan

615.936.7505
Medical Devices

Endonasal Surgical Robot for Sinus and Neurosurgery

Vanderbilt engineers have developed a robotic system for performing sinus and neurosurgery through the nose. This provides a less invasive way to access surgical sites in the sinuses and near the middle of the patient's head, leading to faster recovery times. The robot is modular and sterilizable with detachable cartridge-based instruments. Each instrument is a concentric tube robot, which is a needle-sized tool that can bend and elongate. The system delivers four of these instruments through a single nostril.


Licensing Contact

Ashok Choudhury

615.322.2503