scholarly journals Remote Minimally Invasive Surgery – Haptic Feedback and Selective Automation in Medical Robotics

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Staub ◽  
Keita Ono ◽  
Hermann Mayer ◽  
Alois Knoll ◽  
Heinz Ulbrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Medical Robotics ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Prediction Algorithm ◽  
Robot System

The automation of recurrent tasks and force feedback are complex problems in medical robotics. We present a novel approach that extends human-machine skill-transfer by a scaffolding framework. It assumes a consolidated working environment for both, the trainee and the trainer. The trainer provides hints and cues in a basic structure which is already understood by the learner. In this work, the scaffolding is constituted by abstract patterns, which facilitate the structuring and segmentation of information during “Learning by Demonstration” (LbD). With this concept, the concrete example of knot-tying for suturing is exemplified and evaluated. During the evaluation, most problems and failures arose due to intrinsic system imprecisions of the medical robot system. These inaccuracies were then improved by the visual guidance of the surgical instruments. While the benefits of force feedback in telesurgery has already been demonstrated and measured forces are also used during task learning, the transmission of signals between the operator console and the robot system over long-distances or across-network remote connections is still a challenge due to time-delay. Especially during incision processes with a scalpel into tissue, a delayed force feedback yields to an unpredictable force perception at the operator-side and can harm the tissue which the robot is interacting with. We propose a XFEM-based incision force prediction algorithm that simulates the incision contact-forces in real-time and compensates the delayed force sensor readings. A realistic 4-arm system for minimally invasive robotic heart surgery is used as a platform for the research.

scholarly journals Haptic Feedback in a Telepresence System for Endoscopic Heart Surgery

2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-470 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermann Mayer ◽  
Istvan Nagy ◽  
Alois Knoll ◽  
Eva U Braun ◽  
Robert Bauernschmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Suture Material ◽  
Autonomous Robot ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Sensory Substitution ◽  
Minimally Invasive Procedures ◽  
Invasive Procedures

The implementation of telemanipulator systems for cardiac surgery enabled heart surgeons to perform delicate minimally invasive procedures with high precision under stereoscopic view. At present, commercially available systems do not provide force-feedback or Cartesian control for the operating surgeon. The lack of haptic feedback may cause damage to tissue and can cause breaks of suture material. In addition, minimally invasive procedures are very tiring for the surgeon due to the need for visual compensation for the missing force feedback. While a lack of Cartesian control of the end effectors is acceptable for surgeons (because every movement is visually supervised), it prevents research on partial automation. In order to improve this situation, we have built an experimental telemanipulator for endoscopic surgery that provides both force-feedback (in order to improve the feeling of immersion) and Cartesian control as a prerequisite for automation. In this article, we focus on the inclusion of force feedback and its evaluation. We completed our first bimanual system in early 2003 (EndoPAR Endoscopic Partial Autonomous Robot). Each robot arm consists of a standard robot and a surgical instrument, hence providing eight DOF that enable free manipulation via trocar kinematics. Based on the experience with this system, we introduced an improved version in early 2005. The new ARAMIS system (Autonomous Robot Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery) has four multi-purpose robotic arms mounted on a gantry above the working space. Again, the arms are controlled by two force-feedback devices, and 3D vision is provided. In addition, all surgical instruments have been equipped with strain gauge force sensors that can measure forces along all translational directions of the instrument's shaft. Force-feedback of this system was evaluated in a scenario of robotic heart surgery, which offers an impression very similar to the standard, open procedures with high immersion. It enables the surgeon to palpate arteriosclerosis, to tie surgical knots with real suture material, and to feel the rupture of suture material. Therefore, the hypothesis that haptic feedback in the form of sensory substitution facilitates performance of surgical tasks was evaluated on the experimental platform described in the article (on the EndoPAR version). In addition, a further hypothesis was explored: The high fatigue of surgeons during and after robotic operations may be caused by visual compensation due to the lack of force-feedback (Thompson, J., Ottensmeier, M., & Sheridan, T. 1999. Human Factors in Telesurgery, Telmed Journal, 5 (2) 129–137.).

MiroSurge—Advanced User Interaction Modalities in Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 400-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Tobergte
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive Surgery ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Invasive Surgery ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
User Interaction ◽  
Tactile Feedback ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Direct Perception ◽  
Force Vectors

This paper presents MiroSurge, a telepresence system for minimally invasive surgery developed at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and introduces MiroSurge's new user interaction modalities: (1) haptic feedback with software-based preservation of the fulcrum point, (2) an ultrasound-based approach to the quasi-tactile detection of pulsating vessels, and (3) a contact-free interface between surgeon and telesurgery system, where stereo vision is augmented with force vectors at the tool tip. All interaction modalities aim to increase the user's perception beyond stereo imaging by either augmenting the images or by using haptic interfaces. MiroSurge currently provides surgeons with two different interfaces. The first option, bimanual haptic interaction with force and partial tactile feedback, allows for direct perception of the remote environment. Alternatively, users can choose to control the surgical instruments by optically tracked forceps held in their hands. Force feedback is then provided in augmented stereo images by constantly updated force vectors displayed at the centers of the teleoperated instruments, regardless of the instruments' position within the video image. To determine the centerpoints of the instruments, artificial markers are attached and optically tracked. A new approach to detecting pulsating vessels beneath covering tissue with an omnidirectional ultrasound Doppler sensor is presented. The measurement results are computed and can be provided acoustically (by displaying the typical Doppler sound), optically (by augmenting the endoscopic video stream), or kinesthetically (by a gentle twitching of the haptic input devices). The control structure preserves the fulcrum point in minimally invasive surgery and user commands are followed by the surgical instrument. Haptic feedback allows the user to distinguish between interaction with soft and hard environments. The paper includes technical evaluations of the features presented, as well as an overview of the system integration of MiroSurge.

Force Control of a Robot Arm During Contact Task

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yetik ◽  
V. Karadag
Keyword(s):  
Force Control ◽  
Control Algorithm ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Impedance Control ◽  
Mechanical Impedance ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Robot Arm ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
End Effectors

There are extremely important applications to investigate the control of contact between the end-effectors and the object. During controlling an object, static or in motion, the robot arm should not be damaged. Forces are important in such conditions. The forces between the end-effectors and the object have to be controlled. The motion of the robot arm changes forces. Thats why, to control forces, a force kontrol algorithm must be developed. Previous conventional force control algorithms could not control the robot effectively by only considering the variation of working environment. In this study, a control algorithm strategy to achieve the desired interactions forces between the robot end-effector and the environment during contact tasks, has been developed. The surface of the object and robot are very stiff, thus contact spring coefficient Kc is very large, because of this Kc effect, the results of the forces simulation results, but we get suitable results. Study include, modelling robot arm, evaluating measured forces during contact and constructing a suitable force control algorithm, dynamics, kinematics and simulation results. In this study, we used impedans control which the surface of the object is very stiff, as known as impedance control does not try to track position and force trajectories directly, but rather to regulate the dynamic relationship between the contact forces and manipulator positions, namely the mechanical impedance. Impedance control focused on the design of a robot’s dynamic behavior as seen from the environment. In this control strategy, no hardware or software, switch is needed in the robot’s control system when the robot travels from the free motion space to the constrained space. The force feedback loop closes naturally as soon as the robot interacts with the environment, which changes the robot’s impedance as seen from the environment. By controlling the manipulator positions, and regulating their relationship to the contact forces, the manipulator can be controlled to maintain appropriate contact forces.

scholarly journals Cardiac patch transplantation instruments for robotic minimally invasive cardiac surgery: initial proof-of-concept designs and surgery in a porcine cadaver [preprint]

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher David Roche ◽  
Gautam R Iyer ◽  
Minh H Nguyen ◽  
Sohaima Mabroora ◽  
Anthony Dome ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiac Surgery ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Control Systems ◽  
Open Surgery ◽  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Simulation Software ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Surgical Operation ◽  
Cardiac Tissues

BACKGROUND: Damaged cardiac tissues could potentially be regenerated by transplanting bioengineered cardiac patches to the heart surface. To be fully paradigm-shifting, such patches may need to be transplanted using minimally invasive robotic cardiac surgery (not only traditional open surgery). Here, we present novel robotic designs, initial prototyping and a new surgical operation for instruments to transplant patches via robotic minimally invasive heart surgery. METHODS: Robotic surgical instruments and automated control systems were designed, tested with simulation software and prototyped. Surgical proof-of-concept testing was performed on a pig cadaver. RESULTS: Three robotic instrument designs were developed. The first (called “Claw” for the claw-like patch holder at the tip) operates on a rack and pinion mechanism. The second design (“Shell-Beak”) uses adjustable folding plates and rods with a bevel gear mechanism. The third (“HeartStamp”) utilises a stamp platform protruding through an adjustable ring. For the HeartStamp, rods run through a cylindrical structure designed to fit a uniportal Video-Assisted Thorascopic Surgery (VATS) surgical port. Designed to work with or without a sterile sheath, the patch is pushed out by the stamp platform as it protrudes. Two instrument robotic control systems were designed, simulated in silico and one of these underwent early ‘sizing and learning’ prototyping as a proof-of-concept. To reflect real surgical conditions, surgery was run “live” and reported exactly (as-it-happened). We successfully picked up, transferred and released a patch onto the heart using the HeartStamp in a pig cadaver model. CONCLUSION: These world-first designs, early prototypes and a novel surgical operation pave the way for robotic instruments for automated keyhole patch transplantation to the heart. Our novel approach is presented for others to build upon free from restrictions or cost – potentially a significant moment in myocardial regeneration surgery which may open a therapeutic avenue for patients unfit for traditional open surgery.

Switched-Impedance Control of Surgical Robots in Teleoperated Beating-Heart Surgery

2018 ◽  
Vol 03 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 1841003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lingbo Cheng ◽  
Mahdi Tavakoli
Keyword(s):  
Heart Surgery ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Impedance Control ◽  
Beating Heart ◽  
Human Operator ◽  
Beating Heart Surgery ◽  
Impedance Models ◽  
Fast Motions

A novel switched-impedance control method is proposed and implemented for telerobotic beating-heart surgery. Differing from cardiopulmonary-bypass-based arrested-heart surgery, beating-heart surgery creates challenges for the human operator (surgeon) due to the heart’s fast motions and, in the case of a teleoperated surgical robot, the oscillatory haptic feedback to the operator. This paper designs two switched reference impedance models for the master and slave robots to achieve both motion compensation and nonoscillatory force feedback during slave–heart interaction. By changing the parameters of the impedance models, different performances for both robots are obtained: (a) when the slave robot does not make contact with the beating heart, the slave robot closely follows the motion of the master robot as in a regular teleoperation system, (b) when contact occurs, the slave robot automatically compensates for the fast motions of the beating heart while the human operator perceives the nonoscillatory component of the slave–heart interaction forces, creating the feeling of making contact with an idle heart for the human operator. The proposed method is validated through simulations and experiments.

An Experimental Study of Haptic Feedback in a Teleoperated Assembly Task

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Göran A. V. Christiansson
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Mental Load ◽  
Assembly Task ◽  
Haptic Cues

Haptic feedback is known to improve teleoperation task performance for a number of tasks, and one important question is which haptic cues are the most important for each specific task. This research quantifies human performance in an assembly task for two types of haptic cues: low-frequency (LF) force feedback and high-frequency (HF) force feedback. A human subjects study was performed with those two main factors: LF force feedback on/off and HF force (acceleration) feedback on/off. All experiments were performed using a three degree-of-freedom teleoperator where the slave device has a low intrinsic stiffness, while the master device on the other hand is stiff. The results show that the LF haptic feedback reduces impact forces, but does not influence low-frequency contact forces or task completion time. The HF information did not improve task performance, but did reduce the mental load of the teleoperator, but only in combination with the LF feedback.

Disturbance Observer Based Closed Loop Force Control for Haptic Feedback

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhishek Gupta ◽  
Marcia K. O’Malley ◽  
Volkan Patoglu
Keyword(s):  
Force Control ◽  
Disturbance Observer ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Contact Forces ◽  
Force Sensing ◽  
Haptic Interfaces ◽  
Simulation Fidelity

Most commonly used impedance-type haptic interfaces employ open-loop force control under the assumption of pseudostatic interactions. Advanced force control in such interfaces can increase simulation fidelity through improvement of the transparency of the device, and can further improve robustness. However, closed loop force-feedback is limited both due to the bandwidth limitations of force sensing and the associated cost of force sensors required for its implementation. In this paper, we propose the use of a nonlinear disturbance observer for estimation of contact forces during haptic interactions. This approach circumvents the traditional drawbacks of force sensing while exhibiting the advantages of closed-loop force control in haptic devices. The feedback of contact force information further enables implementation of advanced robot force control techniques such as robust hybrid impedance and admittance control. Simulation and experimental results, utilizing a PHANToM Premium 1.0A haptic interface, are presented to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.

scholarly journals Robotic System to Evaluate Force Feedback in Minimally Invasive Computer Aided Surgery

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermann Mayer ◽  
Istva´n Nagy ◽  
Alois Knoll ◽  
Eva Schirmbeck ◽  
Robert Bauernschmitt
Keyword(s):  
Minimally Invasive Surgery ◽  
Minimally Invasive ◽  
Invasive Surgery ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Force Measurement ◽  
Operation Time ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Open Platform ◽  
Recovery Times

We present an experimental system for robot assisted, minimally invasive surgery that is capable of force measurement and haptic feedback. While minimally invasive surgery with robots provides several advantages like reduced tissue trauma and shorter recovery times, there are also some inherent short-comings. Referring to surgeons, the most significant issue is the lack of haptic feedback. This often causes collateral trauma and leads to prolonged operation time. Therefore we have developed an open platform, which combines the advantages of present systems with the possibility of force reflection. We have included features known from commercial available systems, like full Cartesian control of the end effector, stereo vision and ergonomic input devices. We used the system to perform basic surgical tasks (like knot-tying) and to evaluate force feedback.

Interactive force-sensing feedback system for remote robotic laparoscopic surgery

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-387
Author(s):  
Ian Mack ◽  
Stuart Ferguson ◽  
Karen Rafferty ◽  
Stephen Potts ◽  
Alistair Dick
Keyword(s):  
Force Feedback ◽  
Haptic Feedback ◽  
Computer Network ◽  
Feedback System ◽  
Industrial Robots ◽  
Surgical Instruments ◽  
Feedback Channel ◽  
Surgical Robots ◽  
Quantum Tunnelling ◽  
Remote Patient

This paper presents the details of a combined hardware/software system, which has been developed to provide haptic feedback for teleoperated laparoscopic surgical robots. Surgical instruments incorporating quantum tunnelling composite (QTC) force measuring sensors have been developed and mounted on a pair of Mitsubishi PA-10 industrial robots. Feedback forces are rendered on pseudo-surgical instruments based on a pair of PHANTOM Omni devices, which are also used to remotely manipulate the robotic arms. Measurements of the behaviour of the QTC sensors during a simulated teleoperated procedure are given. In addition, a method is proposed that can compensate for their non-linear characteristics in order to provide a ‘realistic feel’ to the surgeon through the haptic feedback channel. The paper concludes by explaining how the force feedback channel is combined with a visual feedback channel to enable a surgeon to perform a two-handed surgical procedure better on a remote patient by more accurately controlling a pair of robot arms via a computer network.

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