Image-Guided Medical Robotics Comes to Kellogg

Mark Draelos, M.D., Ph.D., stands at the intersection of ophthalmology and robotics. From that unique vantage point, the view is amazing.

Dr. Draelos began a joint faculty appointment at both Kellogg and Michigan Robotics in January 2023, launching the University’s Image-Guided Medical Robotics (IGMR) Lab with dedicated space at both Kellogg and the Ford Robotics building at U-M.

Applying a deep understanding of clinical medicine, biomedical imaging and robotics, IGMR investigators are in the early stages of developing robotic systems with real-time image feedback to solve a range of healthcare problems.

In ophthalmology, those systems are built around Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)—a non-invasive technology that uses light waves to image the structural layers and blood vessels of the eye.

“Marrying OCT with medical robotics promises to be a game-changer in ophthalmology,” says Dr. Draelos, “addressing some of our most crucial surgical and diagnostic challenges.”

A Better-Than-Bird’s-Eye View

OCT is particularly well suited to ocular surgery because it provides images of the tiny structures of the eye in real time, without interrupting the procedure. Dr. Draelos is developing a robot-assisted system that helps the surgeon better leverage that capability.

Eye surgeons perform incredibly delicate maneuvers while seated at the patient’s head, looking through a microscope that offers a top-down view. OCT can provide images from any angle, but once it is rotated (for example, to better view the angle and depth at which an instrument is penetrating), surgeons must also ‘mentally rotate’ to transform their hand motions accordingly.

“Much like driving a vehicle in reverse guided by looking in the mirror, you have to think about which direction to turn the wheel,” he explains.

Dr. Draelos is developing a robotic system that does that mental transformation, better connecting hand and tool movements. At the same time, it employs virtual reality to visually and tactilely ‘separate’ the surgeon from the surgical field, replacing it with a greatly increased scale representation on which to operate.

Taking OCT Where It’s Never Been Before

Robotic enhancements to OCT may soon make the technology more accessible and portable too, bringing earlier diagnosis and treatment to more people.

Today’s OCT, which requires an on-site skilled operator, is a stationary device largely relegated to the ophthalmology clinic. But the eyes are impacted by many diseases that might be initially diagnosed and managed elsewhere.

“Consider the potential to save eyesight if diabetic retinopathy could be found before patients are symptomatic, by using OCT technology in the primary care setting,” suggests Dr. Draelos. His team is working on an OCT-imaging robot that automates scanning. “Eventually, patients’ eyes could be scanned while their blood pressure is being checked.”

An automated, mobile system could bring better ophthalmic health to underserved, at-risk communities with limited familiarity with or access to specialty care. It could also help those unable to be scanned with a traditional system, due to mobility or motion disorders.

“The goal of emerging technologies like these is not to move away from traditional ophthalmology clinics,” Dr. Draelos notes. “Rather, it’s about improving surgical practice, and expanding access to early diagnosis and referral for specialized care.”

Header image caption: Mark Draelos, M.D., PhD