Towards an Autonomous Robot for Camera Control During Laparoscopic Surgery

Abstract

This technology shows that it is possible to create an autonomous camera system that cooperates with a surgeon without requiring any explicit user input. However, the currently implemented camera control behaviors are not ideal or sufficient for many surgical tasks. Future work will be performed to develop, test, and refine more complex behaviors that are optimized for different kinds of surgical tasks. In addition, portions of the test platform will be redesigned to enable its use in actual laparoscopic procedures.

Task analysis of laparoscopic camera control schemes

“…Future work could involve interviewing more surgeons or using a test platform to objectively evaluate surgeon performance with different camera behaviours. Our research group has developed such a platform and designed some appropriate test tasks to assess different camera control schemes .…”

Interactive Instrument-Driven Image Display in Laparoscopic Surgery

“…1 These include threedimensional, high-definition, and digital imaging. 11,12 There have even been attempts at manipulating the image as a whole, such as mirror-image and augmented reality (superimposition of preacquired data), or the monitors themselves (optimal position and viewing angle of the display). 13,14 However, all members of the surgical team have always had to rely on the same captured image-unlike conventional open surgery, whereby all team members determine their own point of view.…”

“…The optimal endoscopic image should center on the tip of the instrument and the target organ-therefore, recognition software that uses the instrument tip as a trigger to manipulate the daughter image(s) automatically produces ideal image framing and can even compensate for poor image capture. 11,17 By expanding the possibilities and the field of view FIG. 3.…”

Distance‐based time series classification approach for task recognition with application in surgical robot autonomy

“…The ultimate goal of RMIS is to program the surgical robot to perform certain difficult or complex surgery in an autonomous manner. However, there is no technical roadmap to a fully autonomous surgical system at the present time . Current RMIS systems operate in a master–slave mode, relying exclusively on direct surgeon input .…”