MRI Compatible Device for Robotic Assisted Interventions to Prostate Cancer

MRI Compatible Device for Robotic Assisted Interventions to Prostate Cancer 

Jean-Sebastien Plante, Lauren Devita, Kenjiro Tadakuma and Steven Dubowsky  

Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DBAs) are a promising alternative for MRI manipulation because they can be actuated directly within the bore of the MRI without affecting image quality [3]. Unlike other MRI compatible actuators, such as piezoelectrics and pneumatics, DBAs are an attractive solution because they offer good mechanical performance while 

Biomedical Applications of Electroactive Polymer Actuators Edited by Federico Carpi and Elisabeth Smela 2009 John Wiley Sons Ltd. ISBN 978-0-470-77305-5 

Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and the number two cause of cancer related death in men after lung cancer [7]. In the United States alone, 218 890 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007 while 30 000 men die from the disease each year [7, 8]. The number of deaths has been declining since the early 1990s due to better detection and treatment methods. 

---

MRI Compatible Device for Robotic Assisted Interventions to Prostate Cancer 421 Table 22.1 Manipulator parameters... 

---