MRI Robotics Intern

Yuchou Chang, University of Houston-Downtown

Usage Details

This project is part of the Blue Waters Student Internship Program. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) robotics is an emerging technology for minimally invasive intervention, automated robotic surgery, and therapeutic delivery. Micro/Nano robots in blood vessels can be driven and propelled by magnetic gradients with predefined path to deliver drugs or cells. To shorten steering distance, optimal path planning and steering algorithms are required to achieve targeted delivery quickly and accurately. In this project, the internship will focus on research of several path planning and steering algorithms in vascular network. Specifically, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) image is preliminarily processed to generate blood vessels at first. Then, path planning method of A* algorithm, genetic algorithm, and neural network algorithm will be investigated and evaluated. The success of this project is able to identify short and path planning and steering algorithm in real-time of MR scan. The intern is expected to implemented image processing algorithms on MRA images, develop three or more path planning algorithms, analyze performance of path planning algorithms through vessels on MRA images, and write a journal paper.