Assessment of joystick and wrist control in hand-held articulated laparoscopic prototypes

Various steerable instruments with flexible distal tip have been developed for laparoscopic surgery. The problem of steering such instruments, however, remains a challenge, because no study investigated which control method is the most suitable. This study was designed to examine whether thumb (joystick) or wrist control method is designated for prototypes of steerable instruments by means of motion analysis. Methods: Five experts and 12 novices participated. Each participant performed a needle-driving task in three directions with two prototypes (wrist and thumb) and a conventional instrument. Novices performed the tasks in three sessions, whereas experts performed one session only. The order of performing the tasks was determined by Latin squares design. Assessment of performance was done by means of five motion analysis parameters, a newly developed matrix for assigning penalty points, and a questionnaire. Results: The thumb-controlled prototype outperformed the wrist-controlled prototype. Comparison of the results obtained in each task showed that regarding penalty points, the up ? down task was the most difficult to perform. Conclusions: The thumb control is more suitable for steerable instruments than the wrist control. To avoid uncontrolled movements and difficulties with applying forces to the tissue while keeping the tip of the instrument at the constant angle, adding a ‘‘locking’’ feature is necessary. It is advisable not to perform the needle driving task in the up down directionBiomechanical EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Figure 5 in A new species of Oeneis from Alaska, United States, with notes on the Oeneis chryxus complex (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)

Figure 5. Male and female genitalia of Oeneis chryxus from Haines Junction, Yukon Territory, Canada: a, male genitalia (SN- 15-158) in left lateral view; b, aedeagus in left lateral view; c, aedeagus in dorsal view; d, eighth tergite in dorsal view; e, juxta in dorsal view; f, female genitalia (SN-15-169) in dorsal view; g, lamella antevaginalis in front view; h, signa. Illustrations by Shinichi Nakahara. Scale bar = 1 mm.Published as part of Andrew D. Warren, Shinichi Nakahara, Vladimir A. Lukhtanov, Kathryn M. Daly, Clifford D. Ferris, Nick V. Grishin, Martin Cesanek & Jonathan P. Pelham, 2016, A new species of Oeneis from Alaska, United States, with notes on the Oeneis chryxus complex (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), pp. 1-20 in The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera 49 on page 10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.27000