3D Camera-based Digital Image Correlation for Tissue Characterisation in Robot-Assisted Surgery

This is a PhD research project in Mechanical Engineering. The growing application of robot-assisted surgery has raised the possibility of improved minimally-invasive precision surgery with the help of robotic systems. Due to the 'remote' nature of the operation, surgeon loses direct sense of tactile feel and often relies on visual cues to determine optimal tissue tension, which is the key to essential surgical tasks such as tissue resection. This PhD project will establish a novel technical framework of 3D camera-based image processing and registration for tissue identification and characterisation in robot-assisted surgery. Using the camera data acquired by the robotic system with a high-definition stereoscopic view of the surgical site, the PhD candidate will develop novel techniques of image processing and registration to reconstruct geometries of the surgical site, in a quasi-real-time fashion, with high levels of accuracy and robustness. The results will be fed back to the robotic systems using methods such as image overlay to provide the surgeons with essential information obtained.