Remote Robotic Surgery Control via Timestamped Network Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic surgery systems face challenges in remote control due to transmission delays and reliability issues, particularly in scenarios where a direct wired connection is not feasible, such as when the surgeon is located in a different city or country, leading to inefficiencies in surgeon utilization and access to patients.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a network-based solution where timestamped input signals from a surgeon-side interface are transmitted to a patient-side interface, ensuring control signals are delivered to the robotic surgery system with minimal delay and high reliability, using a combination of network redundancy and real-time communication protocols to maintain synchronization and ensure timely delivery of critical signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a direct wired connection is used for controlling robotic surgery systems, then transmission reliability is improved, but adaptability to remote locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network communication system as an intermediary between the surgeon console and robotic surgery system. This network-based approach acts as a mediator that enables remote control while maintaining signal transmission, allowing surgeons to operate from different cities or countries without requiring direct physical connection to the surgical site.
2Adaptability or versatility
If network-based remote control is implemented, then adaptability to remote locations is improved, but transmission delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-synchronizing clocks between the surgeon console and robotic surgery system using NTP (Network Time Protocol) before actual surgical operations. This preliminary time synchronization ensures that timestamped control signals can be accurately processed and executed without delay, even over long network distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the robotic surgery system sends status information and confirmation signals back to the surgeon console through the network. This bidirectional communication allows the surgeon to verify signal delivery and system response, enabling real-time adjustments to compensate for network latency.
3Ease of operation
If network-based transmission is used, then ease of operation for remote surgery is improved, but transmission reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by using timestamped control signals that include time synchronization data. This preparatory measure allows the receiving system to buffer and reorder signals if transmission disruptions occur, ensuring that control commands are executed in the correct sequence even when network conditions are unstable.
Data Source
AI summary
Approaches for remotely controlling a robotic surgery system located at a patient-side location are disclosed. Disclosed approaches reduce transmission delay and ensure reliable transmission for controlling a robotic surgery system from a remote location, which may be in a different city, state, or country. For surgeons, remote surgery facilitates optimal utilization of their time and provides access to a sufficient volume of patients to perfect their skills. For patients, remote surgery creates ample access to the right surgeon and the right care at an affordable price, decreases the need for travel, and reduces delayed care.