This page tells you about some of our work. If you would like to work with us here, read this page carefully, and follow the instructions at the end of this page.

Biomechanics of "very" soft tissues

However, recent developments in robotics technology, in particular the emergence of automatic surgical tools and robots as well as advances in virtual reality techniques, call for closer examination of the mechanical properties of these tissues. State of the art intra-operative imaging techniques can supply rich information of tissue deformation. Unfortunately, most medical imaging methods need tens of seconds to even tens of minutes to obtain a set of 3D images. Thus, by thinking of using an image measurement in the robot control system, one also has to consider a delay. The possible solution to this challenge is the prediction of the deformation based on the model. To improve the capabilities of surgical operation planning and surgeon training systems based on the virtual reality techniques, force feedback is needed. To achieve the above goals, the appropriate "very" soft tissue models are required.

Knowledge of the mechanical properties of soft tissues and ultimately of their mathematical models is also required for registration.It encompasses matching images of different modality, such as MRI and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), defining relations between coordinate systems (e.g., between a coordinate system associated with imaging equipment and those of robotic tools in an operating room), segmentation of reference features and defining disparity or similarity functions between extracted features. Registration is a key technique for the computer-integrated surgery.

Registration procedures involving rigid tissues are now well-established. If rigidity is assumed, it is sufficient to find several points such that their mappings between two coordinate systems are known. Registration of soft tissues is much more difficult because it requires a knowledge about local deformations. Here comes the place for accurate models of tissue deformation behaviour.
 
 

What to do next......

Interested?

Before coming to work with us, you must:

1) Make sure you can support yourself financially.

• Rent: $40 - 120 per week (single) $150 - $300 per week (family)
• Car: $4,000 (old used car)
• Food: $40 - $80 per week per person
• College Residence for Students (all meals included, recreation facilities) $180 per week.
• You will need to allow for large payments in the first 4 weeks. On arrival, a furnished room in a hotel or apartment block will cost $75 - $100 per night. It takes about 10 days to 2 weeks to arrange longer-term accommodation, and you will be expected to pay about 7 weeks rent when you sign a lease to rent an apartment (4 weeks rent is a security deposit which will be returned to you at the end of the lease provided you leave the apartment in good condition). Allow for spending at least $5,000 in the first 6 weeks.

The University has a major International Centre for Overseas Students which provides useful information.

2) If you are from overseas, make sure you can obtain a suitable visa.

3) Apply to us for a place in our research programme.

We offer vacation jobs (December - February, advertised in October and November each year), but interested undergraduate students are welcome to participate at any time. Some part-time paid work may be available at other times.

Undergraduate students (final year)

Several students in Mechanical Engineering will work in the loaboratory on final year projects each year. We have also had honours students from Materials Engineering, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, and Electrical Engineering, all working under joint supervision arrangements. Apply for projects from July each year onwards.

Postgraduate Students - Masters, PhD.

Visitors (self supported) - 4 week to 24 month visits by researchers or engineers.

1) An application letter, which must: tell us why you want to come here, what interests you, and (most importantly) what you think you will be able to achieve by working with us. In the letter, you should show some understanding of what we are trying to achieve here, and the particular constraints which affect us here. You also need to explain how you are going to support yourself financially.

2) A full CV and list of publications and patents.

3) A recent photograph of yourself.

4) Samples of your recent work which may include published or unpublished scientific and research papers, designs, reports, drawings or product brochures. You can specify world wide web address for this material if you wish, but we prefer that you send original documents if possible. We have people in our department who can read many languages if your work is not in English, including Indonesian, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, French, German, Russian, Polish, Persian, Croatian, Serbian, Italian, Urdu, Hindi, Greek, and Arabic.

Dr Karol Miller,
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering,
The University of Western Australia,
Nedlands 6907,
Western Australia.

Documents which arrive in late December may not be read until March because our long teaching break runs from December till the end of February, and many of us work away from the office at that time. If in doubt, communicate by E-mail tomake sure documents have arrived safely. (kmiller@mech.uwa.edu.au)

|Karol Miller's Page| UWA Home page|
Web site design: James Trevelyan jamest@mech.uwa.edu.au
LAST UPDATE: 7th May 2002, http://www.mech.uwa.edu.au/kmiller/biomechanics.html