Extending Reach Inside the MRI Bore: A 7-DOF, Low-Friction, Hydrostatic Teleoperator

We present a hydrostatic teleoperator that provides physicians remote access inside the MRI bore and enables real-time MRI guided interventions such as liver biopsies. The device consists of a custom six-axis arm and a needle insertion end effector. The manipulator is passive and backdrivable with a near one-to-one mapping of motions and forces between the input and output. The six-axis arm transl...