Dynamic Virtual Fixture Generation Based on Intra-Operative 3D Image Feedback in Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive...

Area of Science:

• Medical Robotics
• Human-Robot Interaction
• Surgical Technology

Background:

• Seamless shared control in dynamic surgical environments is a significant challenge in medical robotics.
• Existing collaborative control and planning methods struggle to adapt to the complexities of surgical fields.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel method for generating dynamic virtual fixtures with real-time 3D image feedback.
• To enhance human-robot collaboration in medical robotics, specifically for tasks like trocar placement.

Main Methods:

• Dynamically generates virtual fixtures using force fields derived from RGB-D camera point cloud data.
• Employs a "view scope" concept to selectively define computational regions, optimizing processing load.
• Applies the method to guide a trocar-placing robot arm for surgical port manipulation.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a 50% reduction in port placement error (p=1.06×10-2) in phantom experiments.
• Achieved a 35% decrease in completion time (p=3.23×10-2) for robot-assisted port incisions.
• Significantly improved accuracy in robot-assisted port placement for minimally invasive thoracic surgery.

Conclusions:

• The proposed dynamic virtual fixture method shows significant promise for improving surgical accuracy and efficiency.
• This approach offers a viable solution for enhancing human-robot collaboration in complex surgical procedures.
• The real-time 3D feedback and optimized computation contribute to more effective robotic-assisted surgery.