Ultrasound robots: ready-to-use solutions and perspective directions
Introduction. Ultrasonography (US) is one of the most wide-spread methods of diagnostic because this examination is simple and non-invasive. But it has several limitations such as non-reproducibility, operator-dependance and mixing of data obtaining (manual US examination) and data analyzing. Use of robotic systems for sonography is a perspective technological method which can potentially solve these limitations. Automated ultrasound breast scanning is one of the prime examples of robotic systems' application. The aim of our article is to review solutions for ultrasonography robotization. Materials and methods. The research was conducted on Pubmed database. Results. In this article we present examples of different types of robots and robotic systems for ultrasound examination with description of their features and applications. Here we present our analysis of results that were obtained during research, robots' classifications, fields of use and perspectives of application. Conclusion. Use of robots for ultrasound examination is perspective for decrease of sonographers' burden, separation of data obtaining and data analyzing. It also provides changing of the workflow of ultrasound examinations making them more effective and less operator-dependent.