189 research outputs found
Dynamic Active Constraints for Surgical Robots using Vector Field Inequalities
Robotic assistance allows surgeons to perform dexterous and tremor-free
procedures, but robotic aid is still underrepresented in procedures with
constrained workspaces, such as deep brain neurosurgery and endonasal surgery.
In these procedures, surgeons have restricted vision to areas near the surgical
tooltips, which increases the risk of unexpected collisions between the shafts
of the instruments and their surroundings. In this work, our
vector-field-inequalities method is extended to provide dynamic
active-constraints to any number of robots and moving objects sharing the same
workspace. The method is evaluated with experiments and simulations in which
robot tools have to avoid collisions autonomously and in real-time, in a
constrained endonasal surgical environment. Simulations show that with our
method the combined trajectory error of two robotic systems is optimal.
Experiments using a real robotic system show that the method can autonomously
prevent collisions between the moving robots themselves and between the robots
and the environment. Moreover, the framework is also successfully verified
under teleoperation with tool-tissue interactions.Comment: Accepted on T-RO 2019, 19 Page
Snake-Like Robots for Minimally Invasive, Single Port, and Intraluminal Surgeries
The surgical paradigm of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has been a key
driver to the adoption of robotic surgical assistance. Progress in the last
three decades has led to a gradual transition from manual laparoscopic surgery
with rigid instruments to robot-assisted surgery. In the last decade, the
increasing demand for new surgical paradigms to enable access into the anatomy
without skin incision (intraluminal surgery) or with a single skin incision
(Single Port Access surgery - SPA) has led researchers to investigate
snake-like flexible surgical devices. In this chapter, we first present an
overview of the background, motivation, and taxonomy of MIS and its newer
derivatives. Challenges of MIS and its newer derivatives (SPA and intraluminal
surgery) are outlined along with the architectures of new snake-like robots
meeting these challenges. We also examine the commercial and research surgical
platforms developed over the years, to address the specific functional
requirements and constraints imposed by operations in confined spaces. The
chapter concludes with an evaluation of open problems in surgical robotics for
intraluminal and SPA, and a look at future trends in surgical robot design that
could potentially address these unmet needs.Comment: 41 pages, 18 figures. Preprint of article published in the
Encyclopedia of Medical Robotics 2018, World Scientific Publishing Company
www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/9789813232266_000
Medical Robotics
The first generation of surgical robots are already being installed in a number of operating rooms around the world. Robotics is being introduced to medicine because it allows for unprecedented control and precision of surgical instruments in minimally invasive procedures. So far, robots have been used to position an endoscope, perform gallbladder surgery and correct gastroesophogeal reflux and heartburn. The ultimate goal of the robotic surgery field is to design a robot that can be used to perform closed-chest, beating-heart surgery. The use of robotics in surgery will expand over the next decades without any doubt. Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is a revolutionary approach in surgery. In MIS, the operation is performed with instruments and viewing equipment inserted into the body through small incisions created by the surgeon, in contrast to open surgery with large incisions. This minimizes surgical trauma and damage to healthy tissue, resulting in shorter patient recovery time. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of the state-of-art, to present new ideas, original results and practical experiences in this expanding area. Nevertheless, many chapters in the book concern advanced research on this growing area. The book provides critical analysis of clinical trials, assessment of the benefits and risks of the application of these technologies. This book is certainly a small sample of the research activity on Medical Robotics going on around the globe as you read it, but it surely covers a good deal of what has been done in the field recently, and as such it works as a valuable source for researchers interested in the involved subjects, whether they are currently “medical roboticists” or not
Review of robotic technology for keyhole transcranial stereotactic neurosurgery
The research of stereotactic apparatus to guide surgical devices began in 1908, yet a major part of today's stereotactic neurosurgeries still rely on stereotactic frames developed almost half a century ago. Robots excel at handling spatial information, and are, thus, obvious candidates in the guidance of instrumentation along precisely planned trajectories. In this review, we introduce the concept of stereotaxy and describe a standard stereotactic neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons' expectations and demands regarding the role of robots as assistive tools are also addressed. We list the most successful robotic systems developed specifically for or capable of executing stereotactic neurosurgery. A critical review is presented for each robotic system, emphasizing the differences between them and detailing positive features and drawbacks. An analysis of the listed robotic system features is also undertaken, in the context of robotic application in stereotactic neurosurgery. Finally, we discuss the current perspective, and future directions of a robotic technology in this field. All robotic systems follow a very similar and structured workflow despite the technical differences that set them apart. No system unequivocally stands out as an absolute best. The trend of technological progress is pointing toward the development of miniaturized cost-effective solutions with more intuitive interfaces.This work has been partially financed by the NETT Project (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-ITN-289146), ACTIVE Project (FP7-ICT-2009-6-270460), and FCT PhD grant (ref. SFRH/BD/86499/2012)
Autonomy in surgical robots and its meaningful human control
AbstractThis article focuses on ethical issues raised by increasing levels of autonomy for surgical robots. These ethical issues are explored mainly by reference to state-ofart case studies and imminent advances in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and Microsurgery. In both area, surgicalworkspace is limited and the required precision is high. For this reason, increasing levels of robotic autonomy can make a significant difference there, and ethically justified control sharing between humans and robots must be introduced. In particular, from a responsibility and accountability perspective suitable policies for theMeaningfulHuman Control (MHC) of increasingly autonomous surgical robots are proposed. It is highlighted how MHC should be modulated in accordance with various levels of autonomy for MIS and Microsurgery robots. Moreover, finer MHC distinctions are introduced to deal with contextual conditions concerning e.g. soft or rigid anatomical environments
Soft Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery and Interventions: Advances and Outlook
Since the emergence of soft robotics around two decades ago, research interest in the field has escalated at a pace. It is fuelled by the industry's appreciation of the wide range of soft materials available that can be used to create highly dexterous robots with adaptability characteristics far beyond that which can be achieved with rigid component devices. The ability, inherent in soft robots, to compliantly adapt to the environment, has significantly sparked interest from the surgical robotics community. This article provides an in-depth overview of recent progress and outlines the remaining challenges in the development of soft robotics for minimally invasive surgery
Robot-assistive minimally invasive surgery:trends and future directions
The evolution of medical technologies—such as surgical devices and imaging techniques—has transformed all aspects of surgery. A key area of development is robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MIS). This review paper provides an overview of the evolution of robotic MIS, from its infancy to our days, and envisioned future challenges. It provides an outlook of breakthrough surgical robotic platforms, their clinical applications, and their evolution over the years. It discusses how the integration of robotic, imaging, and sensing technologies has contributed to create novel surgical platforms that can provide the surgeons with enhanced dexterity, precision, and surgical navigation while reducing the invasiveness and efficacy of the intervention. Finally, this review provides an outlook on the future of robotic MIS discussing opportunities and challenges that the scientific community will have to address in the coming decade. We hope that this review serves to provide a quick and accessible way to introduce the readers to this exciting and fast-evolving area of research, and to inspire future research in this field
Cable-driven parallel robot for transoral laser phonosurgery
Transoral laser phonosurgery (TLP) is a common surgical procedure in otolaryngology.
Currently, two techniques are commonly used: free beam and fibre delivery. For free beam
delivery, in combination with laser scanning techniques, accurate laser pattern scanning can
be achieved. However, a line-of-sight to the target is required. A suspension laryngoscope is
adopted to create a straight working channel for the scanning laser beam, which could
introduce lesions to the patient, and the manipulability and ergonomics are poor. For the fibre
delivery approach, a flexible fibre is used to transmit the laser beam, and the distal tip of the
laser fibre can be manipulated by a flexible robotic tool. The issues related to the limitation
of the line-of-sight can be avoided. However, the laser scanning function is currently lost in
this approach, and the performance is inferior to that of the laser scanning technique in the
free beam approach.
A novel cable-driven parallel robot (CDPR), LaryngoTORS, has been developed for TLP.
By using a curved laryngeal blade, a straight suspension laryngoscope will not be necessary
to use, which is expected to be less traumatic to the patient. Semi-autonomous free path
scanning can be executed, and high precision and high repeatability of the free path can be
achieved. The performance has been verified in various bench and ex vivo tests. The technical
feasibility of the LaryngoTORS robot for TLP was considered and evaluated in this thesis.
The LaryngoTORS robot has demonstrated the potential to offer an acceptable and feasible
solution to be used in real-world clinical applications of TLP.
Furthermore, the LaryngoTORS robot can combine with fibre-based optical biopsy
techniques. Experiments of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) and
hyperspectral fibre-optic sensing were performed. The LaryngoTORS robot demonstrates the
potential to be utilised to apply the fibre-based optical biopsy of the larynx.Open Acces
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