Application Of Robotic System Research Articles

An Expansion and Application of Human Coexistence Robot System Using Smart Devices

In the context of developing technologies for realizing a user-centric smart society, robot technology is gaining importance for responding to safety issues such as for those living alone and elderly persons. Therefore, in recent years, various robots have been developed to perform social exchanges with people in daily life. We also aim to develop a support system that can be easily used in everyday life through the application of smart device technology that is familiar to people. Therefore, in this paper, we discuss the process of developing robot partners according to various user needs, from the viewpoint of hardware and software development, as human coexistence robot partners. In addition, we show an example of the scalability and application of robot technology using smart devices. First, we describe our smart device-based robot partner system. Next, we describe the development of a robot partner comprising various modules. Finally, we present several examples of robot systems for social implementation and address the applicability of our proposed system.

Assessment of the Acceptability and Feasibility of Using Mobile Robotic Systems for Patient Evaluation

Before the widespread implementation of robotic systems to provide patient care during the COVID-19 pandemic occurs, it is important to understand the acceptability of these systems among patients and the economic consequences associated with the adoption of robotics in health care settings. To assess the acceptability and feasibility of using a mobile robotic system to facilitate health care tasks. This study included 2 components: a national survey to examine the acceptability of using robotic systems to perform health care tasks in a hospital setting and a single-site cohort study of patient experiences and satisfaction with the use of a mobile robotic system to facilitate triage and telehealth tasks in the emergency department (ED). The national survey comprised individuals living in the US who participated in a sampling-based survey via an online analytic platform. Participants completed the national survey between August 18 and August 21, 2020. The single-site cohort study included patients living in the US who presented to the ED of a large urban academic hospital providing quaternary care in Boston, Massachusetts between April and August 2020. All data were analyzed from August to October 2020. Participants in the national survey completed an online survey to measure the acceptability of using a mobile robotic system to perform health care tasks (facilitating telehealth interviews, acquiring vital signs, obtaining nasal or oral swabs, placing an intravenous catheter, performing phlebotomy, and turning a patient in bed) in a hospital setting in the contexts of general interaction and interaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients in the cohort study were exposed to a mobile robotic system, which was controlled by an ED clinician and used to facilitate a triage interview. After exposure, patients completed an assessment to measure their satisfaction with the robotic system. Acceptability of the use of a mobile robotic system to facilitate health care tasks in a hospital setting (national survey) and feasibility and patient satisfaction regarding the use of a mobile robotic system in the ED (cohort study). For the national survey, 1154 participants completed all acceptability questions, representing a participation rate of 35%. After sample matching, a nationally representative sample of 1000 participants (mean [SD] age, 48.7 [17.0] years; 535 women [53.5%]) was included in the analysis. With regard to the usefulness of a robotic system to perform specific health care tasks, the response of "somewhat useful" was selected by 373 participants (37.3%) for facilitating telehealth interviews, 350 participants (35.0%) for acquiring vital signs, 307 participants (30.7%) for obtaining nasal or oral swabs, 228 participants (22.8%) for placing an intravenous catheter, 249 participants (24.9%) for performing phlebotomy, and 371 participants (37.1%) for turning a patient in bed. The response of "extremely useful" was selected by 287 participants (28.7%) for facilitating telehealth interviews, 413 participants (41.3%) for acquiring vital signs, 192 participants (19.2%) for obtaining nasal or oral swabs, 159 participants (15.9%) for placing an intravenous catheter, 167 participants (16.7%) for performing phlebotomy, and 371 participants (37.1%) for turning a patient in bed. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the median number of individuals who perceived the application of robotic systems to be acceptable for completing telehealth interviews, obtaining nasal and oral swabs, placing an intravenous catheter, and performing phlebotomy increased. For the ED cohort study, 51 individuals were invited to participate, and 41 participants (80.4%) enrolled. One participant was unable to complete the study procedures because of a signaling malfunction in the robotic system. Forty patients (mean [SD] age, 45.8 [2.7] years; 29 women [72.5%]) completed the mobile robotic system-facilitated triage interview, and 37 patients (92.5%) reported that the interaction was satisfactory. A total of 33 participants (82.5%) reported that their experience of receiving an interview facilitated by a mobile robotic system was as satisfactory as receiving an in-person interview from a clinician. In this study, a mobile robotic system was perceived to be acceptable for use in a broad set of health care tasks among survey respondents across the US. The use of a mobile robotic system enabled the facilitation of contactless triage interviews of patients in the ED and was considered acceptable among participants. Most patients in the ED rated the quality of mobile robotic system-facilitated interaction to be equivalent to in-person interaction with a clinician.

Consensus achievement method for a robotic swarm about the most frequently feature of an environment based on blockchain technology

The technological development and popularity of swarm robotics actualizes the issues of increasing the efficiency and safety of consensus achievement between the swarm elements. Currently, most studies have little or no regard for information security issues when consensus achievement among swarm elements in the presence of robots with arbitrarily malfunctioning or malicious behavior. However, in many practical applications, when exploring the external environment, a swarm of one or more malicious robots may be sufficient to allow the current consensus mechanisms to fail. One of the promising ways to ensure information security in collective decision-making is the use of blockchain technology as a distributed system designed to work in conditions of lack of trust between the parties. The use of distributed ledger technologies, due to their complexity, leads to reducing efficiency in consensus achievement. The aim of the work is to improve the safety of the process of consensus achievement in swarms of robots through the use of blockchain technology in collective design making while maintaining the effectiveness of consensus achievement between robots. Increasing the safety of decision-making by a swarm will increase the stability and the possibilities of practical application of swarm robotic systems for solving problems in aggressive environments.

Real-time deep learning approach to visual servo control and grasp detection for autonomous robotic manipulation

Robots still cannot perform everyday manipulation tasks, such as grasping, with the same dexterity as humans do. In order to explore the potential of supervised deep learning for robotic grasping in unstructured and dynamic environments, this work addresses the visual perception phase involved in the task. This phase involves the processing of visual data to obtain the location of the object to be grasped, its pose and the points at which the robot’s grippers must make contact to ensure a stable grasp. For this, the Cornell Grasping Dataset (CGD) is used to train a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) that is able to consider these three stages simultaneously. In other words, having an image of the robot’s workspace, containing a certain object, the network predicts a grasp rectangle that symbolizes the position, orientation and opening of the robot’s parallel grippers the instant before its closing. In addition to this network, which runs in real-time, another network is designed, so that it is possible to deal with situations in which the object moves in the environment. Therefore, the second convolutional network is trained to perform a visual servo control, ensuring that the object remains in the robot’s field of view. This network predicts the proportional values of the linear and angular velocities that the camera must have to ensure the object is in the image processed by the grasp network. The dataset used for training was automatically generated by a Kinova Gen3 robotic manipulator with seven Degrees of Freedom (DoF). The robot is also used to evaluate the applicability in real-time and obtain practical results from the designed algorithms. Moreover, the offline results obtained through test sets are also analyzed and discussed regarding their efficiency and processing speed. The developed controller is able to achieve a millimeter accuracy in the final position considering a target object seen for the first time. To the best of our knowledge, we have not found in the literature other works that achieve such precision with a controller learned from scratch. Thus, this work presents a new system for autonomous robotic manipulation, with the ability to generalize to different objects and with high processing speed, which allows its application in real robotic systems.

Design and Control of Advanced Robotic Systems for Manufacturing and Assembly

Modern industrial processes must now be designed and controlled with advanced robotic systems for manufacture and assembly to increase productivity, accuracy, and flexibility. The main factors involved in creating and overseeing these robotic systems are presented in detail in this work.In the design stage, manipulators, sensors, and end-effectors that are customised for the particular manufacturing or assembly task are chosen and integrated. To ensure accurate and efficient task execution, additional control algorithms and programming techniques are also developed. This covers adaptive control techniques, path optimisation, trajectory planning, and collision avoidance.The real-time monitoring, coordinating, and synchronisation of several robots and their interactions with the environment are the main goals of the control component. The integration of human operators with robotic systems is made possible by centralised or decentralised control frameworks, which promote secure and effective production and assembly procedures.The study also discusses how to improve robotic systems' abilities to handle complicated jobs and adapt to shifting production settings by integrating cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, computer vision, and augmented reality.The difficulties and possibilities posed by the application of sophisticated robotic systems for manufacturing and assembly are also covered. These include the dependability of the system, the ethical effects of automation in the workplace, the detection and recovery of faults, and human-robot collaboration.The ultimate goal of this work is to give readers a thorough grasp of the design and control principles required for creating advanced robotic systems for manufacturing and assembly, hence promoting higher levels of productivity, quality, and adaptability in industrial settings.

Humans and Robots: A Mutually Inclusive Relationship in a Contagious World

The Coronavirus global pandemic has spread faster and more severely than experts had anticipated. While this has presented itself as a great challenge, researchers worldwide have shown ingenuity and dexterity in adapting technology and devising new strategies to combat this pandemic. However, implementing these strategies alone impedes the nature of everyone’s daily life. Hence, an intersection between these strategies and the technological advantages of robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous systems is essential for near-to-normal operation. In this review paper, different applications of robotic systems, various aspects of modern technologies, including medical imaging, telemedicine, and supply chains, have been covered with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, concerns over user’s data privacy, job losses, and legal aspects of the implementation of robotics are also been discussed.

Anti-interference analysis of bio-inspired musculoskeletal robotic system

Compared with general joint-link robotic systems, bio-inspired musculoskeletal robotic systems offer the advantages of higher robustness, flexibility, and redundancy. Hence, they are a promising option for the development of next-generation robots. However, theoretical analysis regarding the superiorities of musculoskeletal systems is scarce.This study analyzes and proves the anti-interference of a musculoskeletal system both mathematically and experimentally. a) A new method to calculate the control signals of a highly nonlinear and deeply coupled musculoskeletal system is proposed, and the redundancy range is provided. The result shows that each movement of the system can be realized by multiple control signals in a subspace. b) The anti-interference to control signals caused by the nonlinear driving mechanism of muscles and the coupled feedback effect of the skeletal system are analyzed. The simulation results prove that the bio-inspired musculoskeletal robotic arm has a smaller tracking error than the joint-link robotic arm under the same perturbations of the control signals.The theoretical analysis is consistent with the simulation results, thereby providing a theoretical reference for the application of bio-inspired musculoskeletal robotic systems.

Estimation and Mapping of System-Surface Interaction by Combining Nonlinear Optimization and Machine Learning

Abstract Exploring unknown environments is one of the main applications of mobile robotic systems. Since explorative trajectories can be used to gather information on the environment as well as on the internal dynamics of the robotic system, we propose a combined parameter estimation and mapping approach consisting of three steps: first, the parameter estimation problem is addressed by nonlinear optimization. Then, clustering is used to classify the estimated parameters. Finally, Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are used to expand the optimal parameter values of the recorded data onto the entire map. The proposed approach is applied to a wheeled mobile rover system in a scenario with sharply changing surface properties. Further, it is assumed that the model structure is known and the slip parameter is estimated during the exploration as it depends on system-surface interaction. From the simulations, it was demonstrated that the proposed approach can estimate the position-dependent slip parameter and identify more than 90% of the surface map.

Optimal Randomized Complete Visibility on a Grid for Asynchronous Robots with Lights

We consider the distributed setting of N autonomous mobile robots that operate in Look-Compute-Move (LCM) cycles and communicate with other robots using colored lights (the robots with lights model. This model assumes obstructed visibility where a robot cannot see another robot if a third robot is positioned between them on the straight line connecting them. In this paper, we consider robot movements to be on a grid (integer plane) of unbounded size. In any given step a robot positioned at a grid point can move only to an adjacent grid point to its north, south, east or west. The grid setting naturally discretizes the 2-dimensional plane and finds applications in many real-life robotic systems. The Complete Visibility problem is to reposition N autonomous robots (starting at arbitrary, but distinct, initial positions) so that, on termination, each robot is visible to all others. The objective in this problem is to simultaneously minimize (or provide trade-off between) two fundamental performance metrics: (i) time to solve Complete Visibility and (ii) area occupied by the solution. We also consider the number of distinct colors used by each robot light. We provide the first O(max{D,N})-time algorithm for Complete Visibility in the asynchronous setting, where D is the diameter of the initial configuration. The area occupied by the final configuration is O(N^2); both the time and area are optimal. The time is randomized if no symmetry breaking mechanism is available for the robots. The number of colors used in our algorithm depends on whether leader election is required or not: (i) 17 colors if leader election is not required and (ii) 32 colors if leader election is required.

Application and Design of Inspection Robot System Based on Multi-parameter Hierarchical Inspection of UHV Substation

In this paper, a new substation inspection robot system is introduced, to meet the application requirements of multi-parameter full-station automatic hierarchical inspection of the insulation status of power equipment in UHV ( Ultra-High Voltage ) substation. The system is designed to control the inspection of substation robots, including identifying the number of meters on the cabinet, measuring partial discharge, measuring temperature and humidity and so on . The system is divided into two parts. One part runs in the robot body ,which is called the body control system , and it contains web server, robot ground control system and database. The other part runs on external industrial computer, which is called station control service system. The function of the body control system is more specific, mainly for controlling its own motor driver, in order to complete its own motion. The station control service system achieves important logic control, including configuring inspection plan, visual recognition, robot walking path planning, and writing inspection results into the database.

Accuracy Evaluation of Selected Mobile Inspection Robot Localization Techniques in a GNSS-Denied Environment.

Locating an inspection robot is an essential task for inspection missions and spatial data acquisition. Giving a spatial reference to measurements, especially those concerning environmental parameters, e.g., gas concentrations may make them more valuable by enabling more insightful analyses. Thus, an accurate estimation of sensor position and orientation is a significant topic in mobile measurement systems used in robotics, remote sensing, or autonomous vehicles. Those systems often work in urban or underground conditions, which are lowering or disabling the possibility of using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for this purpose. Alternative solutions vary significantly in sensor configuration requirements, positioning accuracy, and computational complexity. The selection of the optimal solution is difficult. The focus here is put on the assessment, using the criterion of the positioning accuracy of the mobile robot with no use of GNSS signals. Automated geodetic surveying equipment is utilized for acquiring precise ground truth data of the robot’s movement. The results obtained, with the use of several methods, compared: Wheel odometry, inertial measurement-based dead-reckoning, visual odometry, and trilateration of ultra-wideband signals. The suitability, pros, and cons of each method are discussed in the context of their application in autonomous robotic systems, operating in an underground mine environment.

OMNIVIL-An Autonomous Mobile Manipulator for Flexible Production.

Flexible production is a key element in modern industrial manufacturing. Autonomous mobile manipulators can be used to execute various tasks: from logistics, to pick and place, or handling. Therefore, autonomous robotic systems can even increase the flexibility of existing production environments. However, the application of robotic systems is challenging due to their complexity and safety concerns. This paper addresses the design and implementation of the autonomous mobile manipulator OMNIVIL. A holonomic kinematic design provides high maneuverability and the implemented sensor setup with the underlying localization strategies are robust against typical static and dynamic uncertainties in industrial environments. For a safe and efficient human–robot collaboration (HRC), a novel workspace monitoring system (WMS) is developed to detect human co-workers and other objects in the workspace. The multilayer sensor setup and the parallel data analyzing capability provide superior accuracy and reliability. An intuitive zone-based navigation concept is implemented, based on the workspace monitoring system. Preventive behaviors are predefined for a conflict-free interaction with human co-workers. A workspace analyzing tool is implemented for adaptive manipulation, which significantly simplifies the determination of suitable platform positions for a manipulation task.

Предназначение и задачи робототехнических систем в российской лунной программе

The exploration of the Moon and other planets of the Solar system involves a widespread use of robotic systems of various types and purposes. However, currently there is no generally accepted frame of reference for the effective application of different robotic systems for performing space exploration tasks. Based on the approach to the selection of priority robotic systems proposed by the authors, possible areas of their advanced application to support the implementation of the Russian lunar program are considered in this paper. Multi-criteria classification of space-based robotic systems, features of remote control of robots, and directions of work on the development of Russian robotic systems for the lunar program are also examined. The questions of necessity, possibility and validity of flight operations using space-based robotic systems are explored. The tasks of robots in the exploration of the Moon, which are divided into four phases: infrastructure, provision, operation and research, are considered. Key technologies of space robotics (electronics, mechanics, software, control), as well as related technologies at their intersection are presented. Three main areas of Roscosmos’ work on the development of technological, anthropomorphic and freight robots are presented. Conclusions on the implementation of plans for the exploration and use of the Moon are drawn.

Compound lower limb vibration training rehabilitation robot

SummaryThis paper uses a bionic lower limb rehabilitation mechanism combined with a running frame structure to simulate human gait movement for lower limb rehabilitation training. The vibration excited by the vertical vibration module causes the muscle to oscillate, and the mechanical vibration excites the neuromuscular system to obtain corresponding rehabilitation functions. The robot system is modeled in three dimensions, and the static analysis and modal analysis of the running frame are carried out. The mechanism and application of vertical vibration in the key technology are clarified, and the vibration element in the vertical vibration device is analyzed. The vibration theory is deduced, and the vibration displacement figure is drawn using simulation software. The related cooperative vibration spring has also been analyzed with single‐degree‐of‐freedom damping vibration, and the spring's center of mass movement, momentum, and position changes over time are illustrated. The design of the robot system solves the current situation of single movement of the lower limb rehabilitation robot and unsatisfactory rehabilitation effect, laying a foundation for the practical application of the subsequent lower limb rehabilitation robot system.

Facile Fabrication of 3D Porous Sponges Coated with Synergistic Carbon Black/Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Tactile Sensing Applications.

Recently, flexible tactile sensors based on three-dimensional (3D) porous conductive composites, endowed with high sensitivity, a wide sensing range, fast response, and the capability to detect low pressures, have aroused considerable attention. These sensors have been employed in different practical domain areas such as artificial skin, healthcare systems, and human–machine interaction. In this study, a facile, cost-efficient method is proposed for fabricating a highly sensitive piezoresistive tactile sensor based on a 3D porous dielectric layer. The proposed sensor is designed with a simple dip-coating homogeneous synergetic conductive network of carbon black (CB) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) composite on polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) sponge skeletons. The unique combination of a 3D porous structure, with hybrid conductive networks of CB/MWCNTs displayed a superior elasticity, with outstanding electrical characterization under external compression. The piezoresistive tactile sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of (15 kPa−1), with a rapid response time (100 ms), the capability of detecting both large and small compressive strains, as well as excellent mechanical deformability and stability over 1000 cycles. Benefiting from a long-term stability, fast response, and low-detection limit, the piezoresistive sensor was successfully utilized in monitoring human physiological signals, including finger heart rate, pulses, knee bending, respiration, and finger grabbing motions during the process of picking up an object. Furthermore, a comprehensive performance of the sensor was carried out, and the sensor’s design fulfilled vital evaluation metrics, such as low-cost and simplicity in the fabrication process. Thus, 3D porous-based piezoresistive tactile sensors could rapidly promote the development of high-performance flexible sensors, and make them very attractive for an enormous range of potential applications in healthcare devices, wearable electronics, and intelligent robotic systems.

The impact of robot-assisted spine surgeries on clinical outcomes: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

Medical robotics has enabled a significant advancement in the field of modern spine surgery, especially in pedicle screw fixation. A plethora of studies focused on the accuracy of pedicle fixation in robotic-assisted (RA) technology. However, it is not clear whether RA techniques can improve patients' clinical outcomes. We retrieved relevant studies that compare the differences between RA and freehand (FH) techniques in spine surgeries from the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science. The perioperative outcomes of this technology were measured with parameters including radiation exposure, operative time, the length of hospital stay, complication rates and revision rates. Two reviewers independently reviewed the studies in our sample, assessed their validity and extracted relevant data. Our search resulted in a sample of 23 eligible studies, which involved 1247 patients (5042 pedicle screws) in the RA group and 1273 patients (4830 pedicle screws) in the FH group. With regard to the radiation exposure, the fluoroscopy time was less in surgeries assisted by Mazor robots (standard mean difference [SMD] = -0.96, 95% CI = -1.60 to -0.31) but more in Tianji robots (SMD = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.17 to 1.66) and ROSA robots (SMD = 2.57, 95% CI = 2.01 to 3.13). For radiation dose, a decrease was observed in Tianji robots (SMD = -1.59, 95% CI = -2.13 to -1.05). In the lumbar subgroup, the use of robots increased the operative time (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.86). In the degenerative diseases (DG) group, there was a significant decrease in the length of hospital stay when robots were introduced (SMD = -0.30, 95% CI = -0.48 to -0.12). While in the DF (deformity) and DG group, a significant increase was found (SMD = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.02 to 0.32). The complication (OR = 0.41, 95% CI = 0.26 to 0.66) and the revision rates (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.24 to 0.60) showed a significant decrease in the RA group compared to the conventional FH group. This study suggests that RA spine surgeries would result in fewer complications, a lower revision rate and shorter length of hospital stay. As the technology continues to evolve, we may expect more applications of robotic systems in spine surgeries.

Application of robotic systems in production: new opportunities for development and risks

It is impossible to imagine the modern world and the near future without robots. They have already penetrated into absolutely all spheres of our life, including work, are used to perform various functions, which previously only a person could cope with. Automation and robotics of work processes in production, reduces the impact of human factors and leads to improved product quality, while reducing costs.

The intuitive da Vinci single port surgical system and feasibility of transoral thyroidectomy vestibular approach

: Remote-access thyroid surgery is increasingly implemented to reduce the morbidity of an anterior cervical incision resulting from traditional thyroid surgery. While most remote-access approaches leave a cutaneous scar, the recent development of the transoral vestibular approach (TOVA) enables the achievement of a truly scarless surgery, as all incisions are made in the oral vestibule. Unfortunately, the adoption of the robotic system in transoral thyroid surgery has been limited by the need for an additional axillary incision, prohibitive cost, and steep learning curve of robotic surgery. The Intuitive da Vinci single port (SP) robotic surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA), introduced in 2018, may enable transoral robotic thyroid surgery without an axillary port. Additionally, the new SP system is equipped with two “joggle joints” in the robotic arms and endoscope, allowing for additional flexibility in a narrow workspace. Compared to previous generations, the SP robot offers a greater range of motion and more precise surgical control, a derivative of fully articulating instruments on a similar console like the Xi system. This review provides an overview of literature on the application of the intuitive da Vinci SP robotic surgical system via the TOVA in thyroid surgery.

Bit rate improvement of spatially seamless local communication system using signal multiplexing technique

AbstractIn recent years, application of multiple robot system for a large scale system, such as a smart factory, is expected. A system consisting of heterogeneous robots can select the function by switching a combination of the robots according to a purpose. Therefore, the system is more versatile than a single robot on which multiple functions are installed. When the system is controlled by distributed management, it is an essential technique that the robots communicate with each other for mutual understanding to achieve complex task. We have developed spatially seamless local communication system in order to exchange information between the robots without convergences. This system ensures spatially seamless communicable area towards robot's surroundings by rotating a transmitter and a receiver. However, a bit rate of communication using the system is insufficient. Although the system has redundant frame structure to detect interference between signals from different transmitters, it causes decrease of the bit rate. In this paper, we aim to improve the bit rate by reducing frame length of transmission pulse while retaining the interference detection function.

Application of the da Vinci surgical robot system in presacral nerve sheath tumor treatment.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of da Vinci robotic surgery in the treatment of presacral tumors, and to observe its efficacy and safety. Between March 2016 and April 2019, 12 patients with presacral nerve sheath tumors underwent da Vinci robotic surgery, and the integrity of the tumor resection, surgical duration, pre- and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score, intra- and postoperative blood losses, postoperative bedtime, hospital stay and complications were observed. The tumor was completely removed in all 12 patients, the surgical duration ranged between 76 and 245 min (mean, 106.08 min) and the intraoperative blood loss was 76–145 ml (mean, 101.67 ml). The average preoperative VAS score of the patients was 3.25, and the average VAS score at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months post operation were 1.08, 0.42 and 0.08, respectively. All patients were out of bed on the second day after surgery, and the postoperative drainage was 10–50 ml (mean, 33.50 ml). The patients were hospitalized for 3–5 days (mean, 3.92 days). No complications occurred peri- or postoperatively, and wound pain was the main source of postoperative discomfort. In conclusion, the da Vinci robot can be applied to presacral nerve sheath tumors with high surgical safety, low-level bleeding, a rapid recovery and a short hospital stay, making it worthy of further study.