Robot Telesurgical systems

Fig. 28.1a-c. Technical classification of robotic systems a Supervisory controlled system, in which the surgeon plans the operation off line and the robot performs the specified motions autonomously under the supervision of the surgeon, b Telesurgical system, in which the robot is under direct control of the surgeon with an on-line input device, which is typically a force feedback joystick (master), c Shared control system, in which the robot and surgeon share control of the surgical instrument. [Modified from Nathoo et al. (2005) with permission]... 

NeuroArm [32], an MR-compatible telesurgical system for neurosurgery (Figure 5.8), was developed by the University of Calgary and MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. The system consists of two serial robotic arms with 6 DOFs whose end-effectors are designed to be mounted by standard neurosurgical instmments. Each arm is equipped with a 3-DOF optical force sensor for haptic feedback. The system can be used for both stereotaxy and microsurgery. 

More recently, a telesurgical system for transnasal surgery has been reported [46]. The system consists of two 6-DOF robotic arms each made of three concentric superplastic tubes where the outermost tube is as thick as 2.3 mm. The arms are mounted by standard laparoscopic tool end-effectors. For evaluation, the system was successfully adopted to expose the pituitary glands after exposing the sphenoid sinus and removing the anterior wall in a human cadaver. 

Lum, M. J. H. et al. "Objective assessment of telesurgical robot systems Telerobotic FLS." Studies in Health Technology and Informatics 132 (2008) 263. 

ZEUS [25], approved by the FDA, is a telesurgical assistant that was specifically designed for laparoscopic surgery by Computer Motion. The patient-side cart carries three robotic arms (Figure 5.1) including two instrument arms and one endoscope arm. Each arm has 4 active DOFs and two passive joints to enforce compliant motion with the fulcrum constraint at the port of entry. The system also has a surgeon s console that carries a pair of master control devices as weU as a display. The system has mainly been used for endoscopic coronary artery bypass procedures, and was discontinued in 2003. 

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