Robot tech will see surgeons operating - with their feet
- 10 months ago
Robot tech will see surgeons operating - with their feet.
Researchers have developed the first system that enables four-arm laparoscopic surgery by controlling two additional robotic arms foot controls.
Swiss research university EPFL say the system would allow surgeons, in addition to their two natural arms, to control two additional robotic arms using the haptic foot interfaces with five degrees of freedom.
The results, published in The International Journal of Robotics Research, are described as confirming the feasibility of the setup for reducing surgeon workload and improving precision and safety.
Specialists have already been successfully trained on the system and clinical trials are ongoing in Geneva.
In a collaboration between the research group REHAssist and the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), PhD students Jacob Hernandez and Walid Amanhoud and a team of researchers developed the "unprecedented advance".
Each hand controls a manipulative instrument, while one foot controls an endoscope/camera, and another foot controls an actuated gripper.
One key innovation of this system lies in the shared control between the surgeon and the robotic assistants. The control framework developed by the researchers ensures that the surgeon and robots can work collaboratively within a concurrent workspace while meeting the precision and safety demands of laparoscopic surgery.
Mohamed Bouri, head of the group REHAssist, says: "Actuators in the foot pedals give haptic feedback to the user, guiding the foot towards the target as if following an invisible field-of-forces, and also limit force and movement to ensure that erroneous feet movements do not endanger the patient.
"Our system opens up new possibilities for surgeons to perform four-handed laparoscopic procedures, allowing a single person to do a task that is usually performed by two, sometimes three people."
EPFL explain: "Known as shared control, the robotics sometimes lead the surgeon’s control of the instrument as they predict where the surgeon wants to move. When tying a knot for example, the endoscope adjusts into the proper position and the gripper could move out of the way."
Professor Aude Billard, head of LASA, says: "Controlling four arms simultaneously, moreover with one’s feet, is far from routine and can be quite tiring. To reduce the complexity of the control, the robots actively assist the surgeon by coordinating their movements with the surgeon’s through active prediction of the surgeon’s intent and adaptive visual tracking of laparoscopic instruments with the camera. Additionally, assistance is offered for more accurate grasping of the tissues."
Mohamed Bouri adds: "By incorporating foot-controlled robotic assistants and shared control strategies, we reduce the mental and physical load on surgeons and we hypothesise to improve surgical outcomes."
Researchers have developed the first system that enables four-arm laparoscopic surgery by controlling two additional robotic arms foot controls.
Swiss research university EPFL say the system would allow surgeons, in addition to their two natural arms, to control two additional robotic arms using the haptic foot interfaces with five degrees of freedom.
The results, published in The International Journal of Robotics Research, are described as confirming the feasibility of the setup for reducing surgeon workload and improving precision and safety.
Specialists have already been successfully trained on the system and clinical trials are ongoing in Geneva.
In a collaboration between the research group REHAssist and the Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), PhD students Jacob Hernandez and Walid Amanhoud and a team of researchers developed the "unprecedented advance".
Each hand controls a manipulative instrument, while one foot controls an endoscope/camera, and another foot controls an actuated gripper.
One key innovation of this system lies in the shared control between the surgeon and the robotic assistants. The control framework developed by the researchers ensures that the surgeon and robots can work collaboratively within a concurrent workspace while meeting the precision and safety demands of laparoscopic surgery.
Mohamed Bouri, head of the group REHAssist, says: "Actuators in the foot pedals give haptic feedback to the user, guiding the foot towards the target as if following an invisible field-of-forces, and also limit force and movement to ensure that erroneous feet movements do not endanger the patient.
"Our system opens up new possibilities for surgeons to perform four-handed laparoscopic procedures, allowing a single person to do a task that is usually performed by two, sometimes three people."
EPFL explain: "Known as shared control, the robotics sometimes lead the surgeon’s control of the instrument as they predict where the surgeon wants to move. When tying a knot for example, the endoscope adjusts into the proper position and the gripper could move out of the way."
Professor Aude Billard, head of LASA, says: "Controlling four arms simultaneously, moreover with one’s feet, is far from routine and can be quite tiring. To reduce the complexity of the control, the robots actively assist the surgeon by coordinating their movements with the surgeon’s through active prediction of the surgeon’s intent and adaptive visual tracking of laparoscopic instruments with the camera. Additionally, assistance is offered for more accurate grasping of the tissues."
Mohamed Bouri adds: "By incorporating foot-controlled robotic assistants and shared control strategies, we reduce the mental and physical load on surgeons and we hypothesise to improve surgical outcomes."