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Control devices and steering strategies in pathway surgery
Chunman Fan1, Filip Jelínek1, Dimitra Dodou1
1Department BioMechanical Engineering, Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628CD Delft, the Netherlands.
The Journal of Surgical Research
|December 3, 2014
Summary
Two degrees of freedom (2DoF) control enhances surgical navigation performance, reducing task time and collisions. Handgrip controls are intuitive but increase physical demand compared to joysticks.
Area of Science:
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Surgical Robotics
Background:
- Pathway surgery, including transluminal procedures, relies on handheld maneuverable instruments.
- Current control interfaces for these instruments lack intuitive design, impacting surgical performance.
- Optimizing control interfaces is crucial for improving safety and efficiency in minimally invasive procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of control mode (1DoF vs. 2DoF) and control device (joystick vs. handgrip) on human performance in a virtual pathway navigation task.
- To evaluate how different control strategies affect task completion time, path efficiency, motion smoothness, and collision rates.
- To assess subjective user experience, including workload and control preference.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Endo-PaC (Endoscopic-Path Controller) simulator to emulate surgical instrument manipulation.
- Developed custom software for animating virtual curved tunnel navigation scenarios.
- Assessed performance based on task completion time, path length, motion smoothness, collision metrics, workload, and user preference.
Main Results:
- Two degrees of freedom (2DoF) control resulted in significantly faster task completion times and fewer collisions compared to one degree of freedom (1DoF) control.
- Participants showed a strong preference for 2DoF control, citing improved intuitiveness and performance.
- Handgrip controls were perceived as more intuitive initially but led to increased physical demand and longer path lengths than joystick controls.
Conclusions:
- 2DoF control significantly enhances performance in pathway surgical navigation tasks, offering a more efficient and safer user experience.
- While handgrip controls offer intuitiveness, joystick controls may provide better path efficiency and reduced physical strain.
- Further research into control interface design is needed to optimize both intuitiveness and physical ergonomics for advanced minimally invasive surgical instruments.
