A-SEE2.0: Active-Sensing End-Effector for Robotic Ultrasound Systems with Dense Contact Surface Perception Enabled Probe Orientation Adjustment

Abstract

Conventional freehand ultrasound (US) imaging is highly dependent on the skill of the operator, leading to inconsistent results and increased physical burden on sonographers. Robotic Ultrasound Systems (RUSS) aim to address these limitations by providing standardized and automated imaging solutions, especially in environments with limited access to skilled operators. This paper presents the development of a RUSS system that employs a novel end-effector, A-SEE2.0, which uses dual RGB-D depth cameras to maintain the US probe normal to the skin surface, a default starting configuration for anatomical landmarks identification. Our RUSS integrates RGB-D camera data with robotic control algorithms to maintain orthogonal probe alignment on uneven surfaces without preoperative data. Validation tests using a phantom model show that the system achieves robust normal positioning accuracy. A-SEE2.0 demonstrates 2.47 ± 1.25 degrees normal positioning error on a flat surface and 12.19 ± 5.81 degrees error on a mannequin surface. This work highlights the clinical potential of A-SEE2.0 by demonstrating that, during in-vivo forearm ultrasound examinations, it achieves image quality comparable to manual scanning by a human sonographer.