Abstract
This paper proposes a remotely operated brachytherapy system for oral cancer. The purpose of the system is to reduce exposure dose of the operator (healthcare workers) by keeping him or her away from Au grain-seeds at a distance of I m. The system is designed so that the operator can perform the same procedure as the conventional brachytherapy treatment. It is composed of a five degree-of-freedom applicator manipulator to implant Au grain-seeds, a finger device to grasp organs in mouth, operational parts for them, and a base arm. The applicator manipulator and the finger device are installed on the base arm fixed on a shield for radiation proof. The finger device is composed of a three-DoF parallel mechanism so that its fingertip can move in three directions. This paper shows results of insertion experiments.
