A Compact, Modular, Teleoperated Robotic Minimally Invasive Surgery System

Compared to traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgical procedures reduce patient trauma and recovery time, yet the dexterity of the surgeon is reduced due to the small incisions, long instruments, and limited indirect visibility of the operative site inside the patient. Robotic surgical systems, teleoperated by a surgeon from a master control console with joystick-type manipulation interfaces, have been commercially developed yet their adoption into standard practice has been limited up to the present for reasons which may include size, complexity, and cost. The goal of our research is to improve the effectiveness of robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery by developing much smaller, simpler, and less intrusive robotic manipulators for surgery. We have developed a prototype teleoperated robotic surgery system which is modular, compact, and can be sterilized by autoclave. Its simplicity and small size are advantageous for reliability, safety, quick setup times, and ease of use. The system is sufficiently small to be mounted to the sides of the operating table and placed directly above the abdomen of the patient. It is portable for use in remote and hazardous environments and it is easily integrated into operating rooms. The design and configuration of our system are described and preliminary motion trajectory experimental results are given in the paper