Bachelor and Master Theses

Background

This thesis is set within the research field of Microwave Imaging (MWI) for breast cancer detection. In MWI, an electromagnetic wave (EMW) is sent out by a transmitting antenna, that propagates towards an object-under-study (OUS), here the female breast, where it gets reflected, transmitted, and diffracted (scattered).

The diffracted signals can be measured at multiple locations outside the OUS by a receiving antenna, from which the internal tissue distribution (including possible tumors) of the breast can then be reconstructed.

Motivation

To reconstruct the internal tissue distribution, a receiving antenna must be placed at different locations around the OUS at which the electromagnetic field should be measured. While this can be done by manually moving the antenna to different positions, it is more convenient to automate the data acquisition process.

At MDU, an ABB single-arm YuMI (SAY) collaborative robot is available that can be used to automatically move the antenna to defined locations around the OUS.

Goal of this thesis is to implement the desired measurement pattern using the SAY and to synchronize the movement with the available measurement equipment to automate the measurement process.

Tasks

In this thesis, the student will:

• Get familiar with the ABB robot programming language RAPID
• Implement automated measurement patterns to position a receiving antenna around a simple breast model using the ABB SAY
• Gather a basic understanding of electromagnetic principles, antenna theory, and microwave engineering
• Synchronize positioning and measurements of the electromagnetic field using available measurement equipment (Network Analyzer)
• Evaluate the quality and performance of the acquired data and the positioning system, respectively.

Literature

P. M. Meaney, S. D. Geimer, and K. D. Paulsen, “Two-step Inversion with a Logarithmic Transformation for Microwave Breast Imaging,” Med Phys, vol. 44, no. 8, pp. 4239–4251, Aug. 2017, doi: 10.1002/mp.12384.

N. Petrovic, T. Gunnarsson, N. Joachimowicz, and M. Otterskog, “Robot controlled data acquisition system for microwave imaging,” in 2009 3rd European Conference on Antennas and Propagation, Mar. 2009, pp. 3356–3360.

Proficiency in Python is a requirement for this thesis. A basic knowledge of robotics and coordinate transformations is beneficial.

For further information, please contact christoph.salomon@mdu.se