12 accepted papers
Automating bone micro-milling using a robotic system presents challenges due to the uncertainties in both the external and internal features of bone tissue. For example, during mouse cranial window creation, a circular path with a radius of 2 to 4 mm needs to be milled on the mouse skull using a mic
Estimating the state of biological specimens is challenging due to limited observation through microscopic vision. For instance, during mouse skull drilling under high-magnification microscopic vision, the appearance alters little when thinning bone tissue because of its semi-transparent visual prop
Robotic systems for manipulation in millimeter scale often use a camera with high magnification for visual feedback of the target region. However, the limited field-of-view (FoV) of the microscopic camera necessitates camera motion to capture a broader workspace environment. In this work, we propose…
Robotic assistance for experimental manipulation in the life sciences is expected to enable precise manipulation of valuable samples, regardless of the skill of the scientist. Experimental specimens in the life sciences are subject to individual variability and deformation, and therefore require aut…
Vitreoretinal surgery pertains to the treatment of delicate tissues on the fundus of the eye using thin instruments. Surgeons frequently rotate the eye during surgery, which is called orbital manipulation, to observe regions around the fundus without moving the patient. In this paper, we propose the…
International benchmarking competitions have become fundamental for the comparative performance assessment of image analysis methods. However, little attention has been given to investigating what can be learnt from these competitions. Do they really generate scientific progress? What are common and…
Surgical robots are usually controlled using a priori models based on the robots’ geometric parameters, which are calibrated before the surgical procedure. One of the challenges in using robots in real surgical settings is that those parameters can change over time, consequently deteriorating contro…
Surgical robots are used to perform minimally invasive surgery and alleviate much of the burden imposed on surgeons. Our group has developed a surgical robot to aid in the removal of tumors at the base of the skull via access through the nostrils. To avoid injuring the patients, a collision-avoidanc…
The limited workspace in pediatric endoscopic surgery makes surgical suturing one of the most difficult tasks. During suturing, surgeons have to prevent collisions between instruments and also collisions with the surrounding tissues. Surgical robots have been shown to be effective in adult laparosco
In adult laparoscopy, robot-aided surgery is a reality in thousands of operating rooms worldwide, owing to the increased dexterity provided by the robotic tools. Many robots and robot control techniques have been developed to aid in more challenging scenarios, such as pediatric surgery and microsurg…
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is one of the most successful applications of surgical robots. Although the introduction of robotic technology has brought a number of benefits, further advancements in MIS are limited by the size and bending radius of instruments. In this paper, we present a complia…
Robotic assistance allows surgeons to perform dexterous and tremor-free procedures, but is still underrepresented in deep brain neurosurgery and endonasal surgery where the workspace is constrained. In these conditions, the vision of surgeons is restricted to areas near the surgical tool tips, which…