A vision-guided robotic platform for mechanical loading, ultrasound-visible tissue deformation assessment, local and systemic tolerability evaluation in rat and mouse skeletal muscle
6 affiliations
- 1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 2School of Computer Science and Technology, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
- 3The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 4The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 5Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 6Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine for Qingzhi Diseases, Guangzhou, China
Abstract
Controlled and reproducible mechanical stimulation is essential for preclinical mechanotherapy research, yet existing small-animal loading systems often lack integrated anatomical targeting, force control, tissue-level mechanical assessment, and tolerability evaluation. We developed a vision-guided desktop robotic platform integrating RGB-D-based anatomical localization, real-time force sensing, closed-loop force control, and ultrasound-based tissue deformation assessment. The platform was evaluated in 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats and 24 male C57BL/6 mice across two anatomical regions and graded loading conditions. Body-surface-area scaling was used only as a geometric reference for loading-head dimensions, whereas loading-force ranges were selected from previous robotic mechanotherapy studies and preliminary observations. Rats received 0.6, 0.8, or 1.0 N loading to the tibialis anterior region, and mice received 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 N loading to the bilateral cervical muscle region. Ultrasound imaging demonstrated force-related increases in tissue deformation area in both species, confirming that prescribed external force produced measurable tissue-level mechanical responses. Repeated loading for 14 days elicited behavioural responses, particularly in mechanical withdrawal thresholds and rotarod performance, although responses varied across endpoints and loading conditions. Local assessment showed no overt tissue injury, while muscle-fibre cross-sectional area, collagen-positive area, and CD31-positive signals changed with loading. Body weight, haematological indices, serum biochemical markers, and major-organ histology showed no consistent loading-related adverse changes, whereas serum cytokines exhibited limited, species-dependent variation. Overall, the platform enables reproducible force-controlled mechanical loading together with quantitative assessment of ultrasound-visible tissue deformation and provides a standardized experimental framework for investigating mechanical loading-tissue response relationships in small-animal mechanotherapy research.
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BibTeX
@article{zhong2026visionguided,
title = {{A vision-guided robotic platform for mechanical loading, ultrasound-visible tissue deformation assessment, local and systemic tolerability evaluation in rat and mouse skeletal muscle}},
author = {Wei-Xing Zhong and Yuan-Xun Lin and Hao-Tao Cai and Zhong-Shan Zhang and Yao-Shuai Yu and Pei-Xi Wu and Shan-Shan Kuang and Li-Xin Tang and Jun-Hua Li and Yi-Kai Li and Yi-Kai Li and Yi-Kai Li},
journal = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fbioe.2026.2005997},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2026.2005997},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A vision-guided robotic platform for mechanical loading, ultrasound-visible tissue deformation assessment, local and systemic tolerability evaluation in rat and mouse skeletal muscle
AU - Wei-Xing Zhong
AU - Yuan-Xun Lin
AU - Hao-Tao Cai
AU - Zhong-Shan Zhang
AU - Yao-Shuai Yu
AU - Pei-Xi Wu
AU - Shan-Shan Kuang
AU - Li-Xin Tang
AU - Jun-Hua Li
AU - Yi-Kai Li
AU - Yi-Kai Li
AU - Yi-Kai Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/06
JO - Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
DO - 10.3389/fbioe.2026.2005997
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2026.2005997
AB - Controlled and reproducible mechanical stimulation is essential for preclinical mechanotherapy research, yet existing small-animal loading systems often lack integrated anatomical targeting, force control, tissue-level mechanical assessment, and tolerability evaluation. We developed a vision-guided desktop robotic platform integrating RGB-D-based anatomical localization, real-time force sensing, closed-loop force control, and ultrasound-based tissue deformation assessment. The platform was evaluated in 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats and 24 male C57BL/6 mice across two anatomical regions and graded loading conditions. Body-surface-area scaling was used only as a geometric reference for loading-head dimensions, whereas loading-force ranges were selected from previous robotic mechanotherapy studies and preliminary observations. Rats received 0.6, 0.8, or 1.0 N loading to the tibialis anterior region, and mice received 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 N loading to the bilateral cervical muscle region. Ultrasound imaging demonstrated force-related increases in tissue deformation area in both species, confirming that prescribed external force produced measurable tissue-level mechanical responses. Repeated loading for 14 days elicited behavioural responses, particularly in mechanical withdrawal thresholds and rotarod performance, although responses varied across endpoints and loading conditions. Local assessment showed no overt tissue injury, while muscle-fibre cross-sectional area, collagen-positive area, and CD31-positive signals changed with loading. Body weight, haematological indices, serum biochemical markers, and major-organ histology showed no consistent loading-related adverse changes, whereas serum cytokines exhibited limited, species-dependent variation. Overall, the platform enables reproducible force-controlled mechanical loading together with quantitative assessment of ultrasound-visible tissue deformation and provides a standardized experimental framework for investigating mechanical loading-tissue response relationships in small-animal mechanotherapy research.
SN - 2296-4185
ER -