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Enhancing robotic telesurgery with sensorless haptic feedback
Nural Yilmaz1,2, Brendan Burkhart3, Anton Deguet3
1Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA. nyilmaz2@jhu.edu.
Summary
Sensorless haptic feedback in teleoperated surgery significantly improves tumor detection accuracy and reduces interaction forces. Dynamic compensation further enhances performance, offering benefits without hardware changes.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Surgical Technology
- Human-Computer Interaction
Background:
- Teleoperation systems in surgery aim to enhance surgeon capabilities remotely.
- Haptic feedback is crucial for improving surgical precision and safety.
- Existing systems often rely on complex hardware for force sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate user performance in telesurgical tasks using the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK).
- To compare unilateral teleoperation, bilateral teleoperation with force sensors, and sensorless force estimation.
- To assess the impact of sensorless haptic feedback with dynamic compensation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a four-channel teleoperation system with disturbance observers and sensorless force estimation.
- Conducted palpation experiments with 12 users on tissue phantoms using various feedback modalities.
- Performed peg transfer experiments with 10 users to assess sensorless haptic feedback with and without dynamic compensation.
Main Results:
- Sensorless haptic feedback increased tumor detection accuracy by 30% compared to visual feedback alone.
- Accuracy with sensorless feedback was comparable to sensor feedback or direct contact.
- Sensorless feedback reduced incidental contact forces by threefold but increased free motion forces.
Conclusions:
- Sensorless haptic feedback offers significant benefits for teleoperated surgery systems.
- Dynamic compensation can mitigate drawbacks and improve overall surgical performance.
- This technology enhances surgical outcomes without requiring hardware modifications.
