Telepresence Robot Camera Boom for Surgical Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tele-presence systems for remote medical procedures face challenges in providing high-quality video images from operating rooms without boom-mounted cameras, leading to unsatisfactory views for remote users, and there is a need for a cost-effective remote camera solution.
Innovation Solution
A remote-controlled robot with a mobile platform and an auxiliary camera mounted on a boom, allowing for adjustable and high-quality imaging of a patient or surgical site, which can be manually or remotely controlled for optimal viewing angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a boom-mounted camera is installed in the operating room, then high-quality video images of surgical sites can be obtained, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile robot as an intermediary device that carries a camera to capture surgical site images. Instead of installing a fixed boom-mounted camera system, the robot acts as a mobile platform that can be positioned near the surgical table to obtain high-quality images, thereby avoiding the complexity and cost of permanent boom installations while maintaining image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a camera mounted on the mobile robot to create a virtual copy of the boom-mounted camera function. The robot camera replicates the image capture capability without requiring actual boom hardware, providing an alternative solution that achieves the same functional outcome with reduced device complexity.
2Device complexity
If the camera is positioned far from the operating table, then the device complexity is reduced, but the video image quality becomes unsatisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a mobile robot with adjustable positioning capabilities that can dynamically move to optimal locations near the surgical table. The robot can be positioned close to the operating table when high-quality images are needed, and moved away when not in use, providing dynamic adaptability that resolves the contradiction between proximity for image quality and distance for reduced complexity.
3Measurement precision
If a boom-mounted camera system is installed in every operating room, then high-quality tele-presence is achieved, but the cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile robot serves multiple functions: it can be used for tele-presence applications, transported between different operating rooms, and reused across multiple procedures. This multi-functionality reduces the need for dedicated boom-mounted cameras in every room, thereby lowering overall system cost while maintaining image quality through the robot's integrated camera.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of installing expensive boom-mounted camera systems in multiple operating rooms, the patent uses a single mobile robot with a camera that can be moved between rooms to replicate the boom camera function wherever needed, significantly reducing the quantity of expensive hardware required while maintaining service quality.
Data Source
AI summary
A remote controlled robot with a head that supports a monitor and is coupled to a mobile platform. The mobile robot also includes an auxiliary camera coupled to the mobile platform by a boom. The mobile robot is controlled by a remote control station. By way of example, the robot can be remotely moved about an operating room. The auxiliary camera extends from the boom so that it provides a relatively close view of a patient or other item in the room. An assistant in the operating room may move the boom and the camera. The boom may be connected to a robot head that can be remotely moved by the remote control station.