Haptics in surgical robotics

Surgeons´ hands are their main tools. They intuitively process both visual and haptic senses to perform a surgery. Yet, in robotic surgery, the use of a teleoperated system removes the direct contact of hands with tissues and thus, diminishes the sense of touch. Although 3D stereoscopic vision and enhanced dexterity are fully exploited in this field, the tremendous potential of haptic feedback has been confined to research activities. Up to now, the essential role of haptic feedback has not been fully recognized by the medical community since its benefits have not been demonstrated for clinical use due to the technical challenges. This half-day workshop aims at discussing these issues by bringing together surgeons, developers and research engineers with a strong experience of robotic surgery. First, we will identify the role of haptics in robotic surgery guided by medical needs. Then, it will be analyzed whether the state-of-the-art haptic technology can satisfy the medical needs. This should enable us to point out future directions and to bridge the gap between the surgeons´ dream and what engineers can realize.