Computer Vision News - August 2022

45 Towards Soft Robot-Assisted Needle surgeon manually, an external microscope guides them toward the target . However, the soft robot inflates in the ear canal, blocking the entire view, meaning a front camera is needed. “ With vision, we can determine the anatomical regions we want to avoid, and then infer from these anatomical landmarks where we want to insert the needle, ” Lukas explains. “ We perform semantic segmentation of the image in real-time and identify the anatomical regions we’re trying to avoid, like the malleus, which you can see protruding through the tympanic membrane, and then at the tip, you have the umbo. ” developing a platform to deliver treatment closer to the desired anatomies behind the eardrum. The team is working with soft rubber materials and has been seeking to understand better how these materials behave and find optimal ways of actuating them. “ The way we pump liquid into the actuators that move the robot is not very well researched in soft robotics, ” Lukas points out. “ There’s a lot to figure out, and some research is happening parallel to the project’s overall design. Repeatability is also a big issue. We’re developing calibration devices to do that on the fly. ” Another issue concerns the miniaturization of the prototype, which is currently at two times its envisioned scale. The silicone rubber part can be scaled down, but embedding sensing and a camera require working with specialized distributors. When this procedure is performed by a