Cathbot-Pro: A Handheld Robotic Device for Vision-Guided Peripheral Intravenous Catheterization Using NIR Imaging

Peripheral Intravenous Catheterization (PIVC) is one of the most common invasive medical procedures, with over one billion procedures performed annually. However, its failure rate remains unacceptably high at 35% to 50% in patients with Difficult Intravenous Access (DIVA), posing significant clinical challenges. In this paper, we present Cathbot-Pro, a handheld robotic device designed to enhance the safety and accuracy of automated PIVC. The system integrates a novel real-time vein segmentation algorithm that leverages Near-Infrared (NIR) imaging alongside established image processing techniques, including Contrast-Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) for contrast enhancement and Alternate Sequential Morphological Filtering (ASF) for smoothing shapes. The device was designed, fabricated, and tested for robustness and usability on a phantom model with 14 expert users. The vein segmentation module was independently evaluated using a mock dummy device on a pool of 25 volunteers. The results demonstrate that the proposed system effectively achieves a 97% success rate on adult phantoms and 93% on pediatric phantoms, with 100% first-attempt success in user trials. Additionally, the integration of the NIR guidance module shows promise in reducing complications associated with failed insertions.