ROBOTIC SURGICAL DEVICES , SYSTEMS , AND RELATED METHODS

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to various medical device components, including components that can be incorporated into robotic and / or in vivo medical devices. Certain embodiments include various modular medical devices for in vivo medical procedures

In vivo laparoscopic robotics

Robotic laparoscopic surgery is evolving to include in vivo robotic assistants. The impetus for the development of this technology is to provide surgeons with additional viewpoints and unconstrained manipulators that improve safety and reduce patient trauma. A family of these robots have been developed to provide vision and task assistance. Fixed-base and mobile robots have been designed and tested in animal models with much success. A cholecystectomy, prostatectomy, and nephrectomy have all been performed with the assistance of these robots. These early successful tests show how in vivo laparoscopic robotics may be part of the next advancement in surgical technology

In vivo laparoscopic robotics

AbstractRobotic laparoscopic surgery is evolving to include in vivo robotic assistants. The impetus for the development of this technology is to provide surgeons with additional viewpoints and unconstrained manipulators that improve safety and reduce patient trauma. A family of these robots have been developed to provide vision and task assistance. Fixed-base and mobile robots have been designed and tested in animal models with much success. A cholecystectomy, prostatectomy, and nephrectomy have all been performed with the assistance of these robots. These early successful tests show how in vivo laparoscopic robotics may be part of the next advancement in surgical technology

Towards Supervised Autonomous Task Completion Using an \u3ci\u3ein vivo\u3c/i\u3e Surgical Robot

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional abdominal surgery. Unlike traditional surgery, a laparoscopic procedure can be completed using small incisions. The use of these small incision results in reduced pain to the patient, shorter recovery times, and less trauma to skin, muscle and other tissues. However, these benefits to the patient are offset by the increased difficulty to the surgeon performing the procedure. These difficulties include reduced dexterity, reduced perception, and longer procedure times. The use of small in vivo robotic devices in minimally invasive surgery is one possible solution to these problems. The movement of these devices is not constrained by the position of the entry incision, because the devices would be completely intracorporeal. In addition to improving the quality of minimally invasive surgery, devices such as these could be used to perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks over a high latency communications channel. This dissertation discusses the contributions of the author towards the goal of creating surgical robots that can perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks. First, the design and testing of several in vivo robotic devices is described. Next, experimental results using visual quality metrics comparing in vivo cameras to laparoscopes are presented. Next, experiments conducted with the cooperation of NASA during the NEEMO 9 mission are discussed. These experiments compared the usefulness of in vivo robots to laparoscopes in simulated surgical tasks. Next, a sterilizable camera device was designed, and then tested in three survivable pig surgeries. The device was shown to cause no tissue damage or infection, and was used as the sole visual feedback device for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Finally, a prototype system was developed to demonstrate that a dexterous manipulator device could be used to perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks. A closed loop controller using visual feedback was implemented to control the robot. Bench-top tests demonstrating supervised autonomous task completion are presented. The author believes this work represents some work in using in vivo surgical robots to automate surgical tasks

Hardware and software design for a system of autonomous highway safety markers

The safety of highway construction and maintenance workers is a major concern today. For every billion dollars spent on road construction, 33 people are killed in accidents related to that work. Work zone housekeeping is an important element in reducing accidents. This housekeeping involves moving traffic control devices on and off the road. This work is both time consuming and very dangerous. Much research has been done in highway construction robots, highway maintenance robots, and “smart ” highways. One goal of this work is to improve safety in highway construction and maintenance areas. The work done in this thesis focuses on a system of robotic safety markers (RSMs). In this system, each safety marker is a robot. Each of these robots can move inde-pendently, and are controlled by a more sophisticated lead robot. These markers can self-deploy and self-retrieve, removing workers from this dangerous task. The system is designed for high reliability and low per-robot cost. The details on the hardware and software design of the RSMs are given. The electrical design and software architecture are discussed in detail. The software con

Towards supervised autonomous task completion using an in vivo surgical robot

Laparoscopy is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional abdominal surgery. Unlike traditional surgery, a laparoscopic procedure can be completed using small incisions. The use of these small incision results in reduced pain to the patient, shorter recovery times, and less trauma to skin, muscle and other tissues. However, these benefits to the patient are offset by the increased difficulty to the surgeon performing the procedure. These difficulties include reduced dexterity, reduced perception, and longer procedure times. The use of small in vivo robotic devices in minimally invasive surgery is one possible solution to these problems. The movement of these devices is not constrained by the position of the entry incision, because the devices would be completely intracorporeal. In addition to improving the quality of minimally invasive surgery, devices such as these could be used to perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks over a high latency communications channel. This dissertation discusses the contributions of the author towards the goal of creating surgical robots that can perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks. First, the design and testing of several in vivo robotic devices is described. Next, experimental results using visual quality metrics comparing in vivo cameras to laparoscopes are presented. Next, experiments conducted with the cooperation of NASA during the NEEMO 9 mission are discussed. These experiments compared the usefulness of in vivo robots to laparoscopes in simulated surgical tasks. Next, a sterilizable camera device was designed, and then tested in three survivable pig surgeries. The device was shown to cause no tissue damage or infection, and was used as the sole visual feedback device for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Finally, a prototype system was developed to demonstrate that a dexterous manipulator device could be used to perform supervised autonomous surgical tasks. A closed loop controller using visual feedback was implemented to control the robot. Benchtop tests demonstrating supervised autonomous task completion are presented. The author believes this work represents some work in using in vivo surgical robots to automate surgical tasks

SURGICAL CAMERA ROBOT: United States Patent NO. US 7,339,341 B2

The present invention is a miniature camera robot which can be placed entirely within an open space such as an abdominal cavity. The instant camera robot has pan and tilt capabilities, an adjustable focus camera, and a support component for supporting the robot body. In particular embodiments, the camera robot further contains a light source for illumination and a handle to position the camera robot. A system and method for using the instant camera robot are also provided

ROBOTICDEVICESWITHONBOARD CONTROL AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND DEVICES

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to various medical device components, including components that can be incorporated into robotic and/or in vivo medical devices. Certain embodiments include various modular medical devices for in vivo medical procedures

Modeling, Analysis, and Experimental Study of \u3ci\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/i\u3e Wheeled Robotic Mobility

Laparoscopy is abdominal surgery performed with long tools inserted through small incisions. The use of small incisions reduces patient trauma, but also eliminates the surgeon’s ability to view and touch the surgical environment directly. These limitations generally restrict the application of laparoscopy to procedures less complex than those performed during open surgery. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis of miniature, wheeled, in vivo robots to support laparoscopy. The objective is to develop a wireless mobile imaging robot that can be placed inside the abdominal cavity during surgery. Such robots will allow the surgeon to view the surgical environment from multiple angles. The motion of these in vivo robots will not be constrained by the insertion incisions. Simulation and experimental analyses have led to a wheel design that can attain good mobility performance in in vivo conditions