Kitware, an open-source software development company, has been awarded Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), through a unique joint agency initiative of The National Institutes of Health (NIH), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Homeland Security.
The funding will be used to create an augmented reality visualization prototype to improve the safety and efficacy of robot-assisted prostate surgery for those suffering from prostate cancer. The project is to create a human/machine collaborative system to provide surgeons with an augmented reality (AR) view by fusing pre-operative MRI imaging of the prostate and surrounding tissue with the da Vinci robotic assisted laparoscopic video while compensating for non-rigid prostate tissue deformation using intra-operative transrectal ultrasound. The AR will potentially allow surgeons to perform prostatectomies with greatly improved accuracy and possibly lead to improved outcomes and fewer complications.
Kitware will be partnering with the Center for Computer Integrated Surgical Systems and Technology (CISST ERC) at Johns Hopkins University and Blue Torch Medical Technologies.
Press release: Kitware Awarded Funding for Robot-Assisted Prostate Surgery Research …