Medical Ergo Product Photo

Medirob Ergo

Medirob is a medical robot that is an ergonomic aid for ultrasound examinations. Injuries in sonographers are prevented by letting the robot hold the ultrasound transducer during examinations. The control of the mechanical arm is intuitive and precise. Examinations done with robot produce the same ultrasound images that you get from traditional examinations.

Background

Ultrasound examinations of the heart have become a very important diagnostic tool. Various heart diseases like cardiac insufficiency can be confirmed or excluded by ultrasound. Ultrasound is also used to monitor the progress of treatment and adjust medication. It is also popular because it is safe and causes no discomfort for the patient.

Ultrasound images are produced by a sonographer. Producing high quality ultrasound images requires extensive training and long experience. Good sonographers have several years of experience doing these examinations. Unfortunately these examinations involve serious ergonomic problems for sonographers.

terason cardiac ultrasound image

Eliminating MSD & RSI

Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WR-MSD) and repetitive stress injury (RSI) are very common among sonographers. This is a serious problem that must be addressed.

musculoskeletal disorder

Ultrasound examinations of the heart involve a static and very uncomfortable working posture for the sonographer. More than 80% of sonographers experience shoulder, neck and back pains which can result in long term sickness absence. In the worst case the sonographer may not ever be able to return to this job again. This can also cause significant disruptions at the cardiac- or medicine departments, because of the difficulty in finding competent substitutes for injured sonographers.

Solution

During the echocardiography examination Medirob holds and moves the transducer. With Medirob the sonographer does not have to work in an uncomfortable posture and is spared the shoulder and neck pain. The robot arm does the heavy and static work while the sonographer comfortably controls it using a control device.

Medirob helps the sonographer achieve maximum comfort as well as an optimal patient position. The robot can hold the transducer absolutely still for perfect sonographic images. The sonographer can produce great ultrasound images consistently without degradation in quality over time due to fatigue.

Medirob Ergo and patient

Universal

Medirob works with transducers from all major manufacturers of ultrasound equipment. Thanks to Medirob's universal holder and transducer adapter, any cardiac type ultrasound transducer can be mounted and many other transducer types also.

transducer
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Control

The Medirob robotic arm can do all the movements of a human arm and more. It is deliberately slow and precise and never gets tired. To achieve the wide range of movement the robotic arm has 6 independent axes (or 6 degrees of freedom). The arm can be controlled in different modes depending on what is most intuitive and suitable in a given situation.

The sonographer controls the robotic arm using a 3D mouse. This is a control device often used for CAD and computer graphics. It is ergonomic and intuitive to use. It offers 6 independent axes in a single one handed controller, which is ideal for moving an object in 3-dimensional space (i.e. the ultrasound transducer). It is a perfect match for the robotic arm.

3d mouse 6 dof control

In XYZ control mode the sonographer can rotate the transducer to look for the best image, while the tip of the transducer remains in the same position on the patient. Presets allow the sonographer to quickly move the transducer between good starting points for apical, parastenal and subcostal examinations.

3dconnexion spacepilot

Specification Medirob Ergo

  • CE Class I Medical Device.
  • IEC/EN 60601-1 Medical electrical equipment.
  • 6 degrees of freedom robotic arm.
  • Patented design.
  • Transducer pressure 0-100 N (0-10 kg).
  • Force gauge shows axial force on the transducer.
  • Lockable wheels for stability and mobility.
  • Internal battery and charger for uninterrupted power.
  • 230 VAC.
  • Weight 50 kg.
medirob and stretcher