Gaze Detection Optical Elements for Robotic Surgical Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic surgical systems face challenges in ensuring that the surgeon's attention is focused on the display during procedures, as existing systems lack effective methods to detect and respond to the surgeon's gaze direction, potentially leading to unintended instrument movements if the surgeon looks away from the display.
Innovation Solution
The system employs optical elements or markers that reflect light within a specific wavelength range, detected by an image capture device, which provides a notification and disables input handles if the surgeon is not looking at the display, ensuring safety and preventing unintended movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the surgeon console includes a camera to track eye or head position, then the system can detect when the surgeon is not looking at the display, but the system lacks effective methods to respond to gaze direction, potentially leading to unintended instrument movements
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by detecting the surgeon's gaze direction using an image capture device and optical elements, then responding by providing notifications and disabling input handles when the surgeon is not looking at the display, creating a closed-loop safety mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
Optical elements or markers are introduced as intermediaries that reflect light within a specific wavelength range, enabling the image capture device to detect gaze direction indirectly through the reflection patterns of these optical elements
2Reliability
If the system provides notifications and disables input handles when gaze is not detected, then surgical safety is enhanced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The image capture device serves multiple functions: it captures images of the surgeon for gaze tracking, detects optical elements for determining gaze direction, and provides the basis for both notification and input handle disabling functions, reducing the need for separate dedicated components
3Measurement precision
If optical elements reflect light within a predetermined wavelength range, then gaze detection accuracy is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system specifies that optical elements reflect light within a predetermined wavelength range rather than requiring exact wavelength reflection, and detects shapes rather than requiring perfect optical precision, allowing for broader manufacturing tolerances while maintaining detection accuracy
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively ensures that the surgeon's attention is maintained on the display, preventing unintended robotic arm movements and enhancing surgical safety by providing timely notifications and disabling input handles when the surgeon's gaze is not directed at the display.
Implementation Method 1
an optical element configured to reflect light having a wavelength within a predetermined range
Data Source
AI summary
Robotic surgical systems and methods of operating robotic surgical systems are included. The methods include directing light at an optical element configured to be detected by an image capture device of the robotic surgical system, the optical element configured to reflect light having a wavelength within a predetermined range, detecting, using an image capture device capturing images of the optical element, an absence or a presence of the reflected light from the optical element, and providing a notification, in response to the detection by the image capture device of the absence of the reflected light from the optical element.