Collaborative Gaze Channelling for Improved Cooperation During Robotic Assisted Surgery

The use of multiple robots for performing complex tasks is becoming a common practice for many robot applications. When different operators are involved, effective cooperation with anticipated manoeuvres is important for seamless, synergistic control of all the end-effectors. In this paper, the concept of Collaborative Gaze Channelling (CGC) is presented for improved control of surgical robots for a shared task. Through eye tracking, the fixations of each operator are monitored and presented in a shared surgical workspace. CGC permits remote or physically separated collaborators to share their intention by visualising the eye gaze of their counterparts, and thus recovers, to a certain extent, the information of mutual intent that we rely upon in a vis-à-vis working setting. In this study, the efficiency of surgical manipulation with and without CGC for controlling a pair of bimanual surgical robots is evaluated by analysing the level of coordination of two independent operators. Fitts' law is used to compare the quality of movement with or without CGC. A total of 40 subjects have been recruited for this study and the results show that the proposed CGC framework exhibits significant improvement (p<0.05) on all the motion indices used for quality assessment. This study demonstrates that visual guidance is an implicit yet effective way of communication during collaborative tasks for robotic surgery. Detailed experimental validation results demonstrate the potential clinical value of the proposed CGC framework. © 2012 Biomedical Engineering Society.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Trajetórias fiscais na América Latina: Um estudo preliminar

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso apresentado ao Instituto Latino-Americano de Economia, Sociedade e Política da Universidade Federal da Integração Latino- Americana, como requisito parcial à obtenção do título de Bacharel em Ciências Econômicas – Economia, Integração e Desenvolvimento.Por trás de certa unidade cultural e linguística que caracteriza a América Latina, escondem-se diferenças nacionais e regionais bastante relevantes. Uma dessas dimensões consiste na questão fiscal. O presente trabalho expõe os resultados de um largo esforço sistemático orientado a compilar dados e produzir indicadores chave para a descrição e análise das mudanças fiscais experimentadas por alguns países latino-americanos ao longo dos séculos XIX e XX. Este trabalho foi construído a partir do levantamento de dados e sistematização de séries históricas da trajetória fiscal de quatro países pré-selecionados (Argentina, Brasil, Chile e Colômbia), seguido por uma análise dos dados levantados em consonância com a literatura específica de cada país. O desenvolvimento do presente estudo possibilitou a elaboração de um quadro global da região, em um nível ainda preliminar, o qual deverá ser utilizado como sustentação empírica e metodológica para futuras pesquisas

Splenic trauma : WSES classification and guidelines for adult and pediatric patients

Spleen injuries are among the most frequent trauma-related injuries. At present, they are classified according to the anatomy of the injury. The optimal treatment strategy, however, should keep into consideration the hemodynamic status, the anatomic derangement, and the associated injuries. The management of splenic trauma patients aims to restore the homeostasis and the normal physiopathology especially considering the modern tools for bleeding management. Thus, the management of splenic trauma should be ultimately multidisciplinary and based on the physiology of the patient, the anatomy of the injury, and the associated lesions. Lastly, as the management of adults and children must be different, children should always be treated in dedicated pediatric trauma centers. In fact, the vast majority of pediatric patients with blunt splenic trauma can be managed non-operatively. This paper presents the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) classification of splenic trauma and the management guidelines.Peer reviewe

Gaze-Contingent Perceptual Docking for Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Gaze-Contingent Perceptual Docking for Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Perceptual docking for robotic control

In current robotic surgery, dexterity is enhanced by microprocessor controlled mechanical wrists which allow motion scaling for reduced gross hand movements and improved performance of micro-scale tasks. The continuing evolution of the technology, including force feedback and virtual immobilization through real-time motion adaptation, will permit complex procedures such as beating heart surgery to be carried out under a static frame-of-reference. In pursuing more adaptive and intelligent robotic designs, the regulatory, ethical and legal barriers imposed on interventional surgical robots have given rise to the need of a tightly integrated control between the operator and the robot when autonomy is considered. This paper outlines the general concept of perceptual docking for robotic control and how it can be used for learning and knowledge acquisition in robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery such that operator specific motor and perceptual/cognitive behaviour is acquired through in situ sensing. A gaze contingent framework is presented in this paper as an example to illustrate how saccadic eye movements and ocular vergence can be used for attention selection, recovering 3D tissue deformation and motor channelling during minimally invasive surgical procedures. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Gaze-contingent motor channelling and haptic constraints for minimally invasive robotic surgery.

The use of master-slave surgical robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has created a physical separation between the surgeon and the patient. Reconnecting the essential visuomotor sensory feedback is important for the safe practice of robotic assisted MIS procedures. This paper introduces a novel gaze contingent framework with real-time haptic feedback by transforming visual sensory information into physical constraints that can interact with the motor sensory channel. We demonstrate how motor tracking of deforming tissue can be made more effective and accurate through the concept of gaze-contingent motor channelling. The method also uses 3D eye gaze to dynamically prescribe and update safety boundaries during robotic assisted MIS without prior knowledge of the soft-tissue morphology. Initial validation results on both simulated and robotic assisted phantom procedures demonstrate the potential clinical value of the technique.link_to_subscribed_fulltex