Abstract
Designing surgical instruments for robotic-assisted minimally-invasive surgery (RAMIS) is challenging due to constraints on the number and type of sensors imposed by considerations such as space or the need for sterilization. A new method for evaluating the usability of virtual teleoperated surgical instruments based on virtual sensors is presented. This method uses virtual prototyping of the surgical instrument with a dual physical interaction, which allows testing of different sensor configurations in a real environment. Moreover, the proposed approach has been applied to the evaluation of prototypes of a two-finger grasper for lump detection by remote pinching. In this example, the usability of a set of five different sensor configurations, with a different number of force sensors, is evaluated in terms of quantitative and qualitative measures in clinical experiments with 23 volunteers. As a result, the smallest number of force sensors needed in the surgical instrument that ensures the usability of the device can be determined. The details of the experimental setup are also included.
Highlights
Robotics and computers can enhance minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) techniques by scaling movements, filtering micro-tremors, providing access through difficult orifices and allowing greater pre-surgical planning
We describe an approach based on virtual prototyping, for the evaluation of different sensor configurations of a surgical instrument
A prototyping system to evaluate the usability of teleoperated instruments based on the use of virtual sensors has been presented
Summary
Robotics and computers can enhance minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) techniques by scaling movements, filtering micro-tremors, providing access through difficult orifices and allowing greater pre-surgical planning. Today’s robotic-aided minimally-invasive surgery (RAMIS) uses specialized and small devices often teleoperated or operated collaboratively by the surgeon. Forces encountered during contact can be measured and provide the surgeon with the sense of touch [1] and information about the health of the tissues. The operating time may be longer, force feedback can reduce unintentional tissue injuries [2,3], and it has been shown that tactile feedback reduces grasping force in robot-assisted surgery [4]
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