System and workstation for the design, fabrication and assembly of bio-material constructs
Inventors
Golway, Michael • Palmer, Justin C. • Eli, Jeffrey Kyle • Bartlett, Joshua D. • Collins, Ellsworth H.
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11768481-B2
Publication Date
2023-09-26
Expiration Date
Abstract
A bioassembly system having a tissue/object modeling software component fully and seamlessly integrated with a robotic bioassembly workstation component for the computer-assisted design, fabrication and assembly of biological and non-biological constructs. The robotic bioassembly workstation includes a six-axis robot providing the capability for oblique-angle printing, printing by non-sequential planar layering, and printing on print substrates having variable surface topographies, enabling fabrication of more complex bio-constructs including tissues, organs and vascular trees.
Core Innovation
The invention is an integrated 3-D design, fabrication and assembly system that operationally links a modeling component to a robotic assembly workstation component for printing and fabrication of complex biological constructs. The modeling component includes a user interface with tools for creating, editing, modeling, transforming, image property modulating, sketching, print supporting, simulating, material testing, and combinations thereof. The software facilitates designing a volumetric model of a construct at the user interface and is linked to the robotic assembly workstation for execution.
The robotic assembly workstation component includes a framed housing with a multi-axis robot having a robotic arm effector component, a robotic controller, a material storage unit, a material dispensing system, and an adjustable print stage. The adjustable print stage includes a leveling mechanism enhanced by feedback from a laser displacement sensor, where the leveling mechanism measures a height of the adjustable print stage and outputs a height adjustment recommendation, and where the height of the adjustable print stage is configured to be adjusted based on the height adjustment recommendation.
The robotic assembly workstation is configured to print material from a plurality of directions onto a surface of the adjustable print stage based on adjustable movement of the robotic arm. The robotic arm provides movement along at least six axes and prints biomaterial/material from a plurality of directions onto the surface of the adjustable print stage. The system further incorporates a material storage unit with syringe barrel holders and sensors for needle size and tip deflection, supporting oblique-angle printing, non-sequential planar layering, and printing on substrates with variable topography as part of printing and fabrication and assembly of complex biological constructs.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims. Across these claims, the inventive features focus on multi-axis robotic dispensing with sensor-enhanced needle and stage adjustment, angled and normal multi-direction dispensing onto an adjustable print stage, and a linked design-to-robot fabrication workflow using volumetric model design with a modeling component connected to a robotic assembly workstation.
Sensor-enhanced multi-axis robotic biomaterial dispensing apparatus with adjustable print stage leveling
A robotic biomaterial dispensing apparatus comprising a robotic arm and a robotic arm end effector configured to grip and secure a syringe barrel, wherein the robotic arm provides movement of a syringe along at least six axes; a material storage and dispensing system comprising a material storage unit comprising at least one syringe barrel holder with multiple syringes and further comprising at least one needle detection sensor for detecting needle size and tip deflection; and an adjustable print stage comprising a leveling mechanism configured to measure a height of the adjustable print stage and output a height adjustment recommendation, wherein the height of adjustable print stage is configured to be adjusted based on the height adjustment recommendation, wherein the robotic arm is configured to print biomaterial from the syringe from a plurality of directions onto a surface of the adjustable print stage based on an adjustable movement of the robotic arm and wherein the apparatus is contained within a housing.
Sensor-enhanced multi-axis robotic material dispensing apparatus with laser displacement feedback leveling
A robotic material dispensing apparatus comprising a robotic arm and a robotic arm end effector configured to grip and secure a cartridge comprising a syringe barrel from a material storage unit, wherein the robotic arm provides movement of the cartridge along at least six axes; the material storage unit comprising at least one syringe barrel holder with multiple syringe barrels and at least one displacement sensor for ensuring correct seating of syringe barrels in the holder, wherein the material storage unit further comprises at least one needle detection sensor for detecting needle size and tip deflection; and an adjustable print stage configured to be automatically adjusted and comprising a surface to receive a printed material, wherein the robotic arm end effector comprises a laser displacement sensor and the adjustable print stage comprises a leveling mechanism enhanced by feedback from the laser displacement sensor, the leveling mechanism configured to measure a height of the adjustable print stage and output a height adjustment recommendation, wherein the height of adjustable print stage is configured to be adjusted based on the height adjustment recommendation from the leveling mechanism.
Linked 3-D design, volumetric model, and robotic assembly workstation for multi-direction printing
A 3-D design, fabrication and assembly system comprising a modeling component and a robotic assembly workstation component; a hardware processor coupled to a memory; wherein the modeling component comprises a user interface, at least one suite of tools for performing an object operation selected from creating, editing, modeling, transforming, image property modulating, sketching, print supporting, simulating, material testing and combinations thereof, a material database, and software executable by the hardware processor configured to facilitate a method for designing a volumetric model of a construct at the user interface, wherein the modeling component being operationally linked to the robotic assembly workstation component, and wherein the robotic assembly workstation component comprises a framed housing, a multi-axis robot comprising a robotic arm having a robotic arm effector component, a robotic controller, a material storage unit, a material dispensing system, and an adjustable print stage, wherein the robotic arm effector component comprises a laser displacement sensor and the adjustable print stage comprises a leveling mechanism enhanced by feedback from the laser displacement sensor and wherein the robotic arm is configured to print material from a plurality of directions onto a surface of the adjustable print stage based on an adjustable movement of the robotic arm.
Overall, the claim coverage centers on multi-axis robotic biomaterial and material dispensing with sensor detection for needle size and tip deflection, and with displacement sensing for correct seating in the cartridge variant, an adjustable print stage with leveling based on laser displacement sensor feedback and height adjustment recommendations, and a system that links volumetric model design in a modeling component to printing and fabrication in a robotic assembly workstation for multi-direction printing onto the adjustable print stage surface.
Stated Advantages
Supports printing biomaterial/material from a plurality of directions onto a surface of an adjustable print stage.
Uses needle size detection and tip deflection detection in the material storage and dispensing system.
Measures a height of the adjustable print stage and outputs a height adjustment recommendation for adjusting the stage based on sensor feedback.
Enables automatically adjusted leveling of the adjustable print stage enhanced by feedback from the laser displacement sensor.
Provides a linked workflow for designing a volumetric model of a construct and operating a robotic assembly workstation for fabrication and assembly.
Documented Applications
Printing, fabrication, and assembly of complex biological constructs, including tissues, organs, and vascular trees, using the described 3-D design, fabrication and assembly system.
Modeling workflows including importing medical images and simulating and estimating print parameters as part of designing volumetric models for printing and fabrication with the robotic assembly workstation.
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