Surgical Robot Task Templates for Fatigue-Aware Collaborative Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Surgeons using robotic systems for minimally-invasive surgery face physical and mental fatigue due to the need for precise control of robotic arms throughout the procedure, leading to potential loss of accuracy and dexterity.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of automation templates for robotic surgical systems, allowing for collaborative control of robotic arms through pre-programmed task templates that include parameters such as movement trajectory, force level, and stop points, enabling automated performance of routine surgical tasks while allowing direct control for more sensitive aspects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the surgeon directly controls the robotic arms throughout the surgery, then motion accuracy and dexterity are maintained, but the surgeon experiences physical and mental fatigue leading to loss of accuracy and dexterity
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical procedure is divided into routine tasks and non-routine tasks. Routine tasks are automated using pre-programmed templates, while non-routine tasks requiring surgeon judgment and dexterity are performed through direct control. This segmentation allows the surgeon to maintain accuracy on critical tasks without fatigue from continuous control of all movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system performs routine surgical tasks autonomously using automated templates for positioning, retraction, and other standardized procedures. The system serves itself by executing pre-programmed sequences without continuous surgeon intervention, thereby reducing surgeon fatigue while maintaining operational accuracy.
2Manufacturing precision
If the surgeon directly controls each motion of the robotic arms, then precision is maintained, but the surgeon loses accuracy and dexterity over the course of an entire surgery
Solution Approach 1:
Routine surgical tasks are pre-programmed into automated templates before the surgery begins. These templates contain pre-defined trajectories, forces, and sequences for common procedures. During surgery, the surgeon simply selects and activates the appropriate templates, eliminating the need for continuous manual control and preserving precision throughout the extended surgical duration.
3Productivity
If automation templates are used for routine surgical tasks, then surgeon fatigue is reduced and efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system provides dynamic control modes that can be switched during surgery. The surgeon can transition between automated template execution and direct manual control based on the surgical situation. This dynamic flexibility allows the system to maintain high efficiency through automation while preserving the ability to handle complex situations manually, effectively managing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical robotic system offers automation templates, such as surgical task templates, for collaborative control of the robot arms operating in an automated manner. This automated operation through integration of template selection and programming may reduce fatigue while maintaining accuracy and dexterity. For more routine parts of the surgery, the surgeon may select a template and use the template interface to set various parameters for a given surgery, such as the force to be applied, order of tasks, trajectory of movement, stop points, and/or distance of any given movement in automatic operation for surgeon verification. By automating parts of the surgery, the surgeon may use direct control for more sensitive aspects of the surgery while having a respite or assistance for more routine aspects of the surgery.