Surgical Robot Instrument Selection Display for Operator Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical robots do not allow operators to easily determine which medical instrument is selected and which switch corresponds to its movement, leading to confusion during operations.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robot with a display unit that shows the selection status of medical instruments, using marks or letters overlapped on the instruments to indicate the selected tool, and operated state detection units to display operation contents, allowing operators to recognize selected instruments and their functions without looking away from the surgical site.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common input portion is used to operate multiple medical instruments, then the device complexity is reduced, but the operator cannot easily judge which medical instrument has been selected and which switch corresponds to which movement
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit provides visual feedback by showing marks and letters that indicate which medical instrument is currently selected and which operation portion corresponds to which instrument movement. This feedback mechanism resolves the information loss caused by using a common input portion for multiple instruments.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit acts as an intermediary between the common input portion and the multiple medical instruments. It translates the abstract switch positions into concrete visual representations that show the operator which instrument is selected and what movement will occur, bridging the information gap.
2Loss of information
If operation directions of all medical instruments are displayed at the same time, then complete information is provided, but the operator cannot easily distinguish the selected instrument from unselected instruments
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit applies different visual qualities to different instruments: selected instruments are marked with specific marks and letters, while unselected instruments are displayed without these indicators. This local differentiation allows the operator to easily identify the selected instrument while still having access to complete operation information.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit uses visual changes (marks and letters overlapped on instrument images) to indicate the selected medical instrument. These visual modifications create a clear distinction between selected and unselected instruments, improving ease of identification while maintaining complete information display.
3Loss of information
If the display unit continuously shows all operation contents, then complete operational guidance is provided, but the display becomes cluttered and harder to interpret
Solution Approach 1:
The display unit extracts and highlights only the most relevant information: the marks and letters indicating instrument selection and the corresponding operation portions. By extracting this key information and presenting it prominently, the display maintains completeness while improving interpretability and reducing perceived clutter.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A surgical robot which enables an operator to easily judge which medical instrument is selected is provided. This surgical robot 1 has a robot body 4 which selectively operates a plurality of medical instruments 2, an input unit 6 configured to input control information of the robot body 4, the input unit being common among the plurality of medical instruments 2, and a display unit 9 configured to display an image of a surgical site of a patient, the display unit having a selecting situation display function which displays a selecting situation of the plurality of medical instruments 2.