Plugfest 2009: Global Interoperability in Telerobotics and Telemedicine.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Computer Science
• Medical Technology

Background:

• Teleoperator control systems share underlying similarities despite diverse designs.
• Heterogeneous systems can achieve interoperability by exploiting these commonalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a network data specification, the Interoperable Telerobotics Protocol (ITP), for internet-based control of teleoperators.
• To evaluate the efficacy of ITP in the telesurgery domain through global internet testing.

Main Methods:

• Developed the Interoperable Telerobotics Protocol (ITP) as a network data specification.
• Conducted thirty trials connecting fourteen globally dispersed telerobotic master and slave systems over 24 hours.
• Users performed common manipulation tasks to assess master-slave operation.

Main Results:

• Achieved twenty-eight (93%) successful, unique connections across globally dispersed systems.
• Demonstrated effective master-slave operation for common manipulation tasks.
• Showcased high potential for standardizing telerobotic operations.

Conclusions:

• The Interoperable Telerobotics Protocol (ITP) shows significant promise for standardizing teleoperator control.
• New paradigms for telesurgical operation and training, including networked trainers and exoskeleton control, are feasible.
• Global internet-based interoperability for telerobotics is highly achievable.