Bursectomy

BursectomyEmily PetersVince PallonePd. 6 Robotics

The ProblemAn inflamed bursa with synovial fluid is blocking the movement of a joint.If the bursa stays in the joint, this could lead to Arthritis or infection.We must remove the bursa from the joint, without altering the joints themselves.ProcedureThe bursa is located above and between two bones in a joint.A Bursectomy is the surgical removal of a fluid-filled sac.The sac is called a bursa which is filled with synovial fluid.This sac is removed because of chronic inflammation in joints.Upon locating the bursa, you remove it carefully in order to keep from bursting the bursa filled with infected synovial fluid. Also, the bursa must be removed without altering the joints, or else the effects could still be consistent with Arthritis and infection, if the joints become altered.

Why its usedBursitis is the inflammation of the bursa.We use a Bursectomy in order to remove this sac, because if the bursa becomes too inflamed, then there is a danger of swelling in the joints, Arthritis, or infection.

What will happen if the bursitis is ignored? Bursitis tends to lead to Arthritis. Arthritis is a joint disorder, in which multiple joints are inflamed.Infection of the bursa or the joints can lead to severe pain or paralyzation of the joints.

Our RobotWe added a touch sensor to the front of our robot in order to let it establish where the stand, representing the joint, is.In the stand, or joint, we placed a ball, which represents the bursa, which we are trying to remove.We also added an arm, which carefully and slowly removes the ball from the stand, representing the procedure of the Bursectomy. After moving forward, finding the stand, and removing the ball, the robot moves backward without ruining the joint and makes the bursa no longer part of the joint.Our Robot: PhotosBefore the ProcedureAfter the Procedure

The Arm and SensorThe Stand

EvaluationThe robot uses the touch sensor well and is able to find the stand easily. The arm is then able to reach up to the ball and remove it without altering any other parts of the joints or bursting it without any issues. Finally, the robot moves backward smoothly, keeping the stand and ball in place.Our robot was very consistent, working 3 out of 3 trials.Our Robot: Video

ImprovementsIf we were to improve upon our final robot, we would fix a few things to ensure that it performs a flawless procedure.We would add more wheels to the robot which would be controlled by motors in order to ensure that it moves completely straight forward when finding the stand.We would also build a more flexible stand with a more flexible ball, which relates to the actual joint and bursa set-up. This way, there is not such a stiff edge of the stand, making it difficult to remove the ball easily. The actual joint system and bursa is more forgivable, and this would make our procedure even more realistic. Our stand could be of a softer material, like wood, and our bursa could be represented as a water balloon; which would be more realistic of a bursa, which is filled with fluid when present in the human body.