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1. Real-time vision-based surgical tool segmentation with robot kinematics prior

   https://doi.org/10.1109/ISMR.2018.8333305  

   Su, Yun-Hsuan ; Huang, Kevin ; Hannaford, Blake ( March 2018 , 2018 International Symposium on Medical Robotics (ISMR), Atlanta, GA, 2018)

   null (Ed.)

   Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery com- bines the skills and techniques of highly-trained surgeons with the robustness and precision of machines. Several advantages include precision beyond human dexterity alone, greater kinematic degrees of freedom at the surgical tool tip, and possibilities in remote surgical practices through teleoperation. Nevertheless, obtaining accurate force feedback during surgical operations remains a challenging hurdle. Though direct force sensing using tool tip mounted sensors is theoretically possible, it is not amenable to required sterilization procedures. Vision-based force estimation according to real-time analysis of tissue deformation serves as a promising alternative. In this application, along with numerous related research in robot- assisted minimally invasive surgery, segmentation of surgical instruments in endoscopic images is a prerequisite. Thus, a surgical tool segmentation algorithm robust to partial occlusion is proposed using DFT shape matching of robot kinematics shape prior (u) fused with log likelihood mask (Q) in the Opponent color space to generate final mask (U). Implemented on the Raven II surgical robot system, a real-time performance robust to tool tip orientation and up to 6 fps without GPU acceleration is achieved. 

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2. Supervised Semi-Autonomous Control for Surgical Robot Based on Banoian Optimization

   https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9341383  

   Chen, Junhong ; Zhang, Dandan ; Munawar, Adnan ; Zhu, Ruiqi ; Lo, Benny ; Fischer, Gregory S. ; Yang, Guang-Zhong ( February 2021 , 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS))

   null (Ed.)

   The recent development of Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RAMIS) has brought much benefit to ease the performance of complex Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) tasks and lead to more clinical outcomes. Compared to direct master-slave manipulation, semi-autonomous control for the surgical robot can enhance the efficiency of the operation, particularly for repetitive tasks. However, operating in a highly dynamic in-vivo environment is complex. Supervisory control functions should be included to ensure flexibility and safety during the autonomous control phase. This paper presents a haptic rendering interface to enable supervised semi-autonomous control for a surgical robot. Bayesian optimization is used to tune user-specific parameters during the surgical training process. User studies were conducted on a customized simulator for validation. Detailed comparisons are made between with and without the supervised semi-autonomous control mode in terms of the number of clutching events, task completion time, master robot end-effector trajectory and average control speed of the slave robot. The effectiveness of the Bayesian optimization is also evaluated, demonstrating that the optimized parameters can significantly improve users' performance. Results indicate that the proposed control method can reduce the operator's workload and enhance operation efficiency. 

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3. Collaborative Robotics Toolkit (CRTK): Open Software Framework for Surgical Robotics Research

   https://doi.org/10.1109/IRC.2020.00014  

   Su, Yun-Hsuan ; Munawar, Adnan ; Deguet, Anton ; Lewis, Andrew ; Lindgren, Kyle ; Li, Yangming ; Taylor, Russell H. ; Fischer, Gregory S. ; Hannaford, Blake ; Kazanzides, Peter ( November 2020 , 2020 Fourth IEEE International Conference on Robotic Computing (IRC))

   null (Ed.)

   Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has made a substantial impact in operating rooms over the past few decades with their high dexterity, small tool size, and impact on adoption of minimally invasive techniques. In recent years, intelligence and different levels of surgical robot autonomy have emerged thanks to the medical robotics endeavors at numerous academic institutions and leading surgical robot companies. To accelerate interaction within the research community and prevent repeated development, we propose the Collaborative Robotics Toolkit (CRTK), a common API for the RAVEN-II and da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) - two open surgical robot platforms installed at more than 40 institutions worldwide. CRTK has broadened to include other robots and devices, including simulated robotic systems and industrial robots. This common API is a community software infrastructure for research and education in cutting edge human-robot collaborative areas such as semi-autonomous teleoperation and medical robotics. This paper presents the concepts, design details and the integration of CRTK with physical robot systems and simulation platforms. 

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4. Collaborative Robotics Toolkit (CRTK): Open Software Framework for Surgical Robotics Research

   Su, Yun-Hsuan ; Munawar, Adnan ; Deguet, Anton ; Lewis, Andrew ; Lindgren, Kyle ; Li, Yangming ; Taylor, Russell H. ; Fischer, Gregory S. ; Hannaford, Blake ; Kazanzides, Peter ( November 2020 , IEEE International Conference on Robotic Computing (IRC))

   null (Ed.)

   Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery has made a substantial impact in operating rooms over the past few decades with their high dexterity, small tool size, and impact on adoption of minimally invasive techniques. In recent years, intelligence and different levels of surgical robot autonomy have emerged thanks to the medical robotics endeavors at numerous academic institutions and leading surgical robot companies. To accelerate interaction within the research community and prevent repeated development, we propose the Collaborative Robotics Toolkit (CRTK), a common API for the RAVEN-II and da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) - two open surgical robot platforms installed at more than 40 institutions worldwide. CRTK has broadened to include other robots and devices, including simulated robotic systems and industrial robots. This common API is a community software infrastructure for research and education in cutting edge human-robot collaborative areas such as semi-autonomous teleoperation and medical robotics. This paper presents the concepts, design details and the integration of CRTK with physical robot systems and simulation platforms. 

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5. When the End Effector Is a Laser: A Review of Robotics in Laser Surgery

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aisy.202200130  

   Lee, Hun_Chan ; Pacheco, Nicholas_E ; Fichera, Loris ; Russo, Sheila ( September 2022 , Advanced Intelligent Systems)

   Combining laser technology with robotic precision and accuracy promises to introduce significant advances in minimally invasive surgical interventions. Lasers have already become a widespread tool in numerous surgical applications. They are proposed as a replacement for traditional tools (i.e., scalpels and electrocautery devices) to minimize surgical trauma, decrease healing times, and reduce the risk of postoperative complications. Compared to other energy sources, laser energy is wavelength‐dependent, allowing for preferential energy absorption in specific tissue types. This potentially leads to minimizing damage to healthy tissue and increasing surgical outcomes control and quality. Merging robotic control with laser techniques can help physicians achieve more accurate laser aiming and pave the way to automatic control of laser–tissue interactions in closed loop. Herein, a review of the state‐of‐the‐art robotic systems for laser surgery is presented. The goals of this paper are to present recent contributions in advanced intelligent systems for robot‐assisted laser surgery, provide readers with a better understanding of laser optics and the physics of laser–tissue interactions, discuss clinical applications of lasers in surgery, and provide guidance for future systems design.

    

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