In this section

Human-Centred Automation, Robotics and Monitoring

We use perceptual methods, AI, and frugal robotics innovation to deliver transformative diagnostic and treatment solutions.

Head of Group

Dr George Mylonas

B415B Bessemer Building
South Kensington Campus

+44 (0)20 3312 5145

YouTube ⇒ HARMS Lab

What we do

The HARMS lab leverages perceptually enabled methodologies, artificial intelligence, and frugal innovation in robotics (such as soft surgical robots) to deliver transformative solutions for diagnosis and treatment. Our research is driven by both problem-solving and curiosity, aiming to build a comprehensive understanding of the actions, interactions, and reactions occurring in the operating room. We focus on using robotic technologies to facilitate procedures that are not yet widely adopted, particularly in endoluminal surgery, such as advanced treatments for gastrointestinal cancer.

Meet the team

Mr Amirhosein Alian
Research Postgraduate

Dr James P Avery
Honorary Lecturer

Mr Junhong Chen
Research Postgraduate

Mr Kaizhong Deng
Research Postgraduate

Mr Hanqi LOU
Research Postgraduate

Dr George Mylonas BEng, MSc, DIC, PhD
Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Technology in Cancer

Dr Adrian Rubio Solis
Research Associate in Sensing and Machine Learning

Dr Jianlin Yang
Research Associate

Mr Zhangxi Zhou
Research Postgraduate

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Yang:2024:10.1109/lra.2024.3386022,
author = {Yang, J and Runciman, M and Avery, J and Sun, Z and Mylonas, G},
doi = {10.1109/lra.2024.3386022},
journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
pages = {4870--4877},
title = {A soft inflatable robot driven by hydraulic folded pouch actuators for minimally invasive surgery},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/lra.2024.3386022},
volume = {9},
year = {2024}
}

Download

RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY - JOUR
AB - This paper presents a soft, inflatable, cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR) for Minimally Invasive Surgery. The CDPR has 5 degrees of freedom and is driven by 6 cables and 6 hydraulic folded actuators. The actuator utilizes a folded chamber to pull a cable. The robot comprises a soft hexagonal variable-stiffness scaffold with a welded internal triangular support, which increases the stiffness of the robot when pressurized. The fabrication methodology is demonstrated in detail. A test platform is designed to obtain the characteristics of the folding actuator. The relationship between input liquid volume and actuator displacement can be predicted well by a geometry-based method. The displacement output of the actuator can reach 22 mm, which is nearly twice its length in its zero-volume folded state. Robot repeatability tests show mean and root mean square errors below 0.3 mm. The robot is made from plastic laminate sheets of thickness 120 μm and can deploy from 100 mm in length and 14 mm in diameter when folded, into an inflatable hollow hexagonal prism with 29 mm side length and 78 mm edge length. Deployment in a colon phantom is demonstrated and simulated surgery is conducted to validate the robot performance.
AU - Yang,J
AU - Runciman,M
AU - Avery,J
AU - Sun,Z
AU - Mylonas,G
DO - 10.1109/lra.2024.3386022
EP - 4877
PY - 2024///
SN - 2377-3766
SP - 4870
TI - A soft inflatable robot driven by hydraulic folded pouch actuators for minimally invasive surgery
T2 - IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/lra.2024.3386022
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/112007
VL - 9
ER -