10 accepted papers
Recent advances in probe-based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy (pCLE) enable real-time, in situ and in vivo tissue assessment at the micro scale. The limited field-of-view offered by pCLE necessitates the use of mosaicking to allow for accurate tissue characterization from the incoming image stream. H…
Suturing is an essential requirement for surgical robots. Current designs of needle drivers require significant forces to be applied so that the needle will not flip or slip between the jaws when inserted into the tissue. The required force implies that most designs are based on rigid instruments wi…
This letter introduces a single-port robotic platform for transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS). Two robotically controlled articulated surgical instruments are inserted via a transanal approach to perform submucosal or full-thickness dissection. This system is intended to replace the conventiona
The field of robotic surgery increasingly advances towards highly articulated and continuum robots, requiring new kinematic strategies to enable users to perform dexterous manipulation in confined workspaces. This development is driven by surgical interventions accessing the surgical workspace throu
Traditional robotic surgical systems rely entirely on robotic arms to triangulate articulated instruments inside the human anatomy. This configuration can be ill-suited for working in tight spaces or during single access approaches, where little to no triangulation between the instrument shafts is p…
The performance of a master-slave robotic system depends significantly on the ergonomics and the capability of its master device to correctly interface the user with the slave robot. Master manipulators generating commands in task space represent a commonly adopted solution for controlling a range o…
Snake like continuum robots are increasingly used for minimally invasive surgery. Most robotic devices of this sort that have been reported to date are controlled in an open loop manner. Using shape sensing to provide closed loop feedback would allow for more accurate control of the robot's position…
Effective in situ, in vivo tumour margin assessment is an important, yet unmet, clinical demand in surgical oncology. Recent advances in probe-based optical imaging tools such as confocal endomicroscopy is making inroads in clinical applications. In practice, maintaining consistent tissue contact wh…
This paper introduces the design and characterization of a robotic surgical instrument produced mainly with rapid prototyping techniques. Surgical robots have generally complex structures and have therefore an elevated cost. The proposed instrument was designed to incorporate minimal number of compo…
The use of conventional surgical tool holders requires an assistant during positioning and adjustment due to the lack of weight compensation. In this paper, we introduce a robotic arm system with hands-on control approach. The robot incorporates a force sensor at the end effector which realises tool…