Scene-Aware Robotic Light Pipe Control for Vitreoretinal Surgery
Wenjun Lin, Wending Zhang, Chin-Boon Chng, Yong Jun Tan, Chee Kong Chui
Abstract
Surgical robotics have revolutionized medical procedures by offering enhanced precision and reduced complications. However, vitreoretinal surgery still relies heavily on manual techniques, where surgeons manage both a surgical tool and a light pipe, complicating operations and potentially affecting outcomes. To improve efficiency and outcomes while reducing workloads on surgeons, a novel vision-based robot-assisted system with advanced surgical scene understanding ability is proposed. The system automatically positions a light pipe held by a specialized surgical robot through optimization-based visual collaborative control. By identifying target areas for automatic illumination, the system allows surgeons to focus on surgical tasks and supports more complex surgeries such as three-arm procedures. Besides, the system enhances surgical safety by detecting surgical activities and dangerous areas and issuing alerts accordingly. Postoperatively, the system records tool trajectories and detected activities, providing data for surgical reports, skill evaluation, and training. Experiments prove the effectiveness of the control system, visual algorithm, and overall collaborative system.