An Anatomy-Aware Shared Control Approach for Assisted Teleoperation of Lung Ultrasound Examinations

The introduction of artificial intelligence and robotics in telehealth is enabling personalised treatment and supporting teleoperated procedures such as lung ultrasound, which has gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although fully autonomous systems face challenges due to anatomical variability, teleoperated systems appear to be more practical in current healthcare settings. This paper presents an anatomy-aware control framework for teleoperated lung ultrasound. Using biomechanically accurate 3D models such as SMPL and SKEL, the system provides a real-time visual feedback and applies virtual constraints to assist in precise probe placement tasks. Evaluations on five subjects show the accuracy of the biomechanical models and the efficiency of the system in improving probe placement and reducing procedure time compared to traditional teleoperation. The results demonstrate that the proposed framework enhances the physician's capabilities in executing remote lung ultrasound examinations, towards more objective and repeatable acquisitions.

A Passive Variable Impedance Control Strategy with Viscoelastic Parameters Estimation of Soft Tissues for Safe Ultrasonography

In the context of telehealth, robotic approaches have proven a valuable solution to in-person visits in remote areas, with decreased costs for patients and infection risks. In particular, in ultrasonography, robots have the potential to reproduce the skills required to acquire high-quality images while reducing the sonographer's physical efforts. In this paper, we address the control of the interaction of the probe with the patient's body, a critical aspect of ensuring safe and effective ultrasonography. We introduce a novel approach based on variable impedance control, allowing real-time optimisation of a compliant controller parameters during ultrasound procedures. This optimisation is formulated as a quadratic programming problem and incorporates physical constraints derived from viscoelastic parameter estimations. Safety and passivity constraints, including an energy tank, are also integrated to minimise potential risks during human-robot interaction. The proposed method's efficacy is demonstrated through experiments on a patient dummy torso, highlighting its potential for achieving safe behaviour and accurate force control during ultrasound procedures, even in cases of contact loss.