Scan-to-Print Medical Robotics: 3D Vision-Guided Bioprinting on Complex Bone Surfaces

ABSTRACT

1. Background and Purpose: Peri-implant microgaps in mandibular reconstruction can act as permissive spaces for fibrovascular ingrowth, potentially weakening biological continuity between implanted materials and host bone. We have designed STAM, an injectable, writeable anti-fibrotic bioadhesive, and propose to investigate whether interfacial “writing” of this material — performed manually or by a camera-guided six-axis robotic deposition system — can redirect the local healing response toward stable implant integration. Central to this objective is surface-conforming deposition, in which the material is written in close apposition to the complex three-dimensional anatomy of the mandible.

2. Research Question: To what extent can a camera-guided six-axis robotic deposition system deliver soft biomaterials conformally onto the complex 3D surface of bone, as required in oral and maxillofacial surgery, and how should robotic motion be coordinated with 3D surface data acquired by an integrated 3D camera to achieve such surface-conforming deposition?

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Programming in Python (or C++), Willingness to work with hardware (vision and robot system), Basic data handling