Dual-Arm Teleoperated Robotic Microsurgery System with Live Volumetric OCT Image Feedback

In microsurgery, surgeons frequently encounter challenges due to the need for exceptional precision and dexterity, the lack of depth perception for micro-scale surgical maneuvers, and the inevitable effects of fatigue and hand tremor. In surgical robotics, conventional intraoperative perception systems normally provide real-time image feedback, but depth and volumetric information is typically lacking. To overcome these challenges, we propose a teleoperated robotic system with two arms to provide high-fidelity intraoperative volumetric imaging during micro-scale tissue manipulation. This system incorporates an optical coherence tomography sensor for real-time 3D visualization and a dual-arm teleoperated robot system controlled by haptic input devices for accurate and precise manipulation. We characterize the system's performance through a precision positioning task and a vessel following task in a retinal model, which shows average positioning errors of approximately 232μm and 83 μm, respectively. We demonstrate the fully integrated system through the completion of an eggshell membrane peeling task that simulates retinal membrane peeling.