Robotic Surgical System Augmented Reality Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgical techniques face limitations in identifying conditions or objects within the camera's field of view that are not fully visible, such as tissue perfusion, artery location, vessel sealing effectiveness, and diseased or dead tissue, due to limited spectral visibility and detection capabilities of existing endoscopes and displays.
Innovation Solution
A robotic surgical system with image processing filters that decompose and temporally filter image data to enhance visibility of imperceptible properties, using spatial and temporal filters to generate augmented images and force-feedback representations, allowing clinicians to perceive and manipulate tissues more effectively during surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If minimally invasive surgical techniques are used with standard endoscopes, then patient recovery time is reduced and discomfort is minimized, but the ability to identify conditions such as tissue perfusion, artery location, and vessel sealing effectiveness is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extends the detection capability from the visible spectrum into the infrared spectrum, adding a new dimensional aspect to the imaging capability. This allows detection of thermal signatures and physiological parameters that are invisible to standard endoscopes, resolving the contradiction between minimal invasiveness and detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of detection by using multiple spectral bands (visible and infrared) and processing image data through filters that highlight specific physiological parameters such as perfusion, temperature, and vessel integrity. This transforms the detection parameters to reveal information that was previously imperceptible.
2Productivity
If standard endoscopes are used during surgery, then the surgical procedure is simpler and faster, but conditions such as diseased tissue, dead tissue, and super-small leaks remain invisible
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection and identification of tissue conditions during the surgical procedure itself, rather than requiring separate post-surgical tests. The image processing filters and spectral analysis are applied in real-time to identify perfusion status, tissue viability, and potential leaks before they become critical issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary image processing system that acts as a mediator between the raw visual information from the endoscope and the surgeon's decision-making. This intermediary layer processes the image data to extract and highlight critical physiological information that would otherwise be imperceptible, maintaining surgical speed while improving measurement precision.
3Measurement precision
If additional invasive tests are performed to check for tissue perfusion, artery location, and vessel sealing, then detection accuracy improves, but patient discomfort increases and recovery time extends
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced endoscope system performs multiple detection functions simultaneously using the same minimal incisions. A single imaging system with spectral analysis capabilities can detect perfusion, locate arteries, verify vessel sealing, identify diseased tissue, and detect leaks all at once, eliminating the need for multiple separate invasive tests and their associated patient discomfort.
4Illumination intensity
If the visible spectrum display is used, then the surgical field is clearly visible, but properties such as tissue perfusion, heat signature, and vessel integrity that are imperceptible to the human eye cannot be identified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the electromagnetic spectrum into multiple detectable bands (visible and infrared) and processes each band separately through dedicated filters. This segmentation allows the system to capture and analyze different physiological information from each spectral region, then reconstruct a composite view that preserves both the visual clarity needed for surgery and the additional information about tissue perfusion, temperature, and integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to robotic surgical system that includes an operating console configured to operate at least one robotic arm and at least one drive motor configured to receive an input from the operating console and control the at least one robotic arm based on the input from the operating console. A surgical instrument is coupled to the at least one robotic arm. The surgical instrument is inserted into a patient and captures an image of a region of interest inside the patient during a surgical procedure. A controller receives the image and applies at least one image processing filter to identify at least one non-visible property of an object in the region of interest. A display displays the image to a user.