Program Manager: COL Geoffrey Ling, M.D., Ph.D.
The Trauma Pod Program will enhance battlefield casualty care by developing autonomous and semi-autonomous mobile platforms through the integration of tele-robotic and robotic medical systems. The initial phase has successfully automated functions typically performed by the scrub nurse and circulating nurse; these functions are now performed by semi-autonomous robots working in coordination with the tele-robotic surgeon. The next phase of the program will develop methods for autonomous airway control and intravenous access so that initial therapy can be autonomously administered. Finally, these systems will be miniaturized and incorporated into a tactical platform capable of operating in a battlefield or mass casualty environment.
Early developments from the Trauma Pod Program include—
- Robotic surgical performance: Surgeons performed complex surgical procedures on a simulation mannequin by operating a robot through the Trauma Pod operations console. Two procedures, intestinal anastomosis and iliac shunt, were performed without the aid of a scrub nurse. The system correctly changed tools and dispensed supplies with 100-percent accuracy
- CT scanning and image reconstruction: A CT scanner mounted on a portable stretcher created an accurate 3-D reconstruction of a phantom. This will allow for early, in-field detection of subtle, but potentially life-threatening injuries prior to evacuation to more sophisticated levels of medical care.
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