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Development of a StandAlone Surgical Haptic Arm
Daniel Jones1, Andrew Lewis, Gregory S Fischer
1Electrical and Computer Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA. dtjones@alum.wpi.edu
Summary
Haptic feedback in robotic surgery systems can enhance safety and reduce the learning curve. A new surgical haptic arm (SASHA) was developed to explore this, improving minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS).
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Surgical Technology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Current Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery (MIRS) systems lack tactile sensation, unlike traditional laparoscopy.
- This absence of haptic feedback can impact surgical performance and training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if haptic feedback in MIRS can improve surgical speed, safety, and the learning curve.
- To develop and evaluate a novel research platform for advanced telesurgery techniques.
Main Methods:
- Design and fabrication of a standalone surgical haptic arm (SASHA) for manipulating da Vinci surgical tools.
- Utilizing SASHA as a platform to develop and assess haptic feedback strategies in telesurgery.
- Evaluating different haptic mappings and the impact of latency on surgical performance.
Main Results:
- SASHA successfully provides haptic feedback information for robotic surgical tools.
- The platform enables research into optimizing haptic feedback for telesurgery.
- Initial evaluations focus on haptic mappings and latency effects.
Conclusions:
- Haptic feedback is a crucial element for enhancing MIRS performance and training.
- The SASHA platform offers a viable research tool for advancing telesurgery.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the benefits of haptic feedback in robotic surgery.
