Software Design for Intelligent Cell Spray System

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Volume Title

School of Electrical Engineering | Master's thesis

Date

2024-12-31

Department

Major/Subject

Control, Robotics and Autonomous Systems

Mcode

Degree programme

Master's Programme in Automation and Electrical Engineering

Language

en

Pages

90

Series

Abstract

Burn wounds present a significant challenge in clinical care. Traditional wound healing methods, such as skin grafting, have drawbacks, as they increase the skin area needed to heal. To overcome these limitations, cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment that distributes cells to the wound to accelerate healing. One promising method to deliver cells is spraying. To obtain high-quality treatment, it is crucial to maintain a uniform delivery of cells on the wound, which requires the surgeons to manipulate the instruments precisely. Several spray parameters are considered, such as spray distance, spray volume, and volume dispensing rate. In particular, the devices must be kept at a controlled distance from the skin surface, and spray volume and volume dispensing rate must be controlled to ensure the expected amount of biomaterial applied and the repeatability of biomaterial delivery. However, available cell spray devices on the market exhibit shortcomings in components that help surgeons manipulate the devices precisely. This thesis develops two components that assist the surgeons in maintaining the spray parameters. First, a visual feedback pattern is designed based on the principle of Augmented Reality, which can visualize real-time spray parameters and provide the surgeons with animated operation instructions. The implementation allows quick iterative developments of alternative patterns. Second, a spray control system is implemented to automate the spraying process and ensure the precise volume and desired dispensing rate. Experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of different control strategies under various conditions. The syringe movement is validated by an interferometric displacement sensor. A computer-based user interface is developed to enable surgeons to configure parameters and operate the device from the computer. The result of the thesis contains three main points. First, a comprehensive system software architecture is presented to detail the system's functionalities and communication of software components. Second, a visual feedback system is designed to provide an effective and reliable visualization projected at an enhanced frame rate, featuring animated guidance and adaptable to custom patterns. Finally, the spray control can operate manually and automatically, applying accurate volume and dispensing rate.

Description

Supervisor

Zhou, Quan

Thesis advisor

Vieira, Arthur

Keywords

burns, cell spray therapy, software design, augmented reality, PID, OpenCV

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