title: A 10-mm MR-Conditional Unidirectional Pneumatic Stepper Motor.
abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR) conditional robotic devices facilitate accurate interventional procedures under MR imaging (MRI) guidance. For this purpose, a compact (10-mm diameter) MR-conditional stepper motor is presented. The device features seven key components, which contribute to a dense and easy to fabricate design. Alternating bursts of pressurized air and vacuum can drive the motor in 60° per step to achieve a maximum torque of 2.4 mNm. The relationship between torque and angular speed was investigated to demonstrate motor performance under different loading conditions. The stepper motor was tested in a GE 3T MRI scanner to verify its MR-compatibility. A maximum artifact width of 3 mm was measured in MRI images and a maximum signal-to-noise ratio reduction of 2.49% was recorded.
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Mershon
authors.affiliation: College of Engineering, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602 USA.
authors.forename: Zion Tsz Ho
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Tse
keywords: MR imaging (MRI); Magnetic resonance (MR)-conditional; pneumatic stepper motor