Virtual Operating Room Layout for Surgical Robot Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical robotic systems lack a systematic approach for planning the arrangement of surgical robotic arms and equipment, leading to potential delays, risks of collision, and suboptimal performance during minimally-invasive surgeries.
Innovation Solution
A virtual surgical environment is generated with virtual surgical robotic arms and a virtual patient, allowing for the determination of tool and arm positions to optimize workflow, which is then used to arrange physical equipment based on sensor feedback, ensuring adequate reach and minimizing collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If surgical robotic arms and equipment are arranged without systematic planning, then setup process is simple and quick, but there are risks of collision, delays, and suboptimal performance during surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary planning of the surgical workflow and equipment arrangement before the actual surgery. A virtual model of the operating room is created and simulated to determine optimal positions for robotic arms, surgical tools, and other equipment. This advance planning prevents collisions and delays during the actual surgical procedure by pre-identifying and resolving potential conflicts in the physical layout.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a virtual copy or digital twin of the physical operating room environment, including robotic arms, surgical tools, and equipment. This virtual model allows for simulation and optimization of the surgical workflow without affecting the actual physical setup. The optimized virtual arrangement is then transferred to guide the physical equipment positioning, ensuring optimal performance while minimizing risks.
2Productivity
If virtual reality simulation is used to plan surgical robotic workflow, then procedural success and repeatability are improved, but system complexity and setup time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex physical trial-and-error setup processes with virtual reality simulation and computational modeling. Instead of physically moving and adjusting robotic arms and equipment to test different configurations, the system uses software-based virtual models to simulate and optimize workflows. This substitution reduces the need for iterative physical adjustments while improving procedural efficiency and repeatability.
3Ease of operation
If physical equipment is rearranged multiple times based on trial and error, then optimal layout may be achieved, but setup delays and operational time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the equipment layout optimization in advance through virtual simulation before the actual surgical procedure begins. By pre-determining the optimal positions of robotic arms, surgical tools, and equipment in the virtual model, the system eliminates the need for multiple trial-and-error rearrangements in the physical environment. This preliminary optimization reduces setup time and allows the surgical team to proceed directly to the optimized configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual operating room (OR) is generated that includes virtual surgical equipment based on existing OR models and existing equipment models. Sensor feedback is received that defines a physical OR having physical equipment, the physical equipment including a surgical robotic system within the physical OR. The virtual OR and the virtual surgical equipment is updated based on the sensor feedback. A layout of the virtual surgical equipment is optimized in the virtual OR. The virtual OR and the virtual surgical equipment are rendered on a display.