Development and initial testing of a general-purpose, MR-compatible, manually-actuated manipulator for image-guided interventions

A novel MR-compatible manually-actuated robotic manipulation device has been developed. It is a general-purpose system that provides access to the patient inside a closed-cylindrical MRI scanner. It allows the performance of various minimally-invasive interventions, such as biopsies and local drug deliveries, using real-time images for guidance and monitoring. The design of the system is described and the prototype constructed is presented together with initial MRI phantom testing on needle targeting. The characteristics and potential of manual actuation in MR-compatible robotic systems are examined.